How to Write 矮 (ǎi) — Meaning “Short (in height).”

Picture a short arrow (矢) next to a woman (the bottom part of 委 is 女) who is also very short. The arrow and the woman are both short, reminding you that 矮 means short in height.

Start by writing the left radical 矢: a short horizontal stroke, then a longer horizontal, then a left-falling stroke, and finally a right-falling stroke. The right side 委 has a top part 禾 (grain) and a bottom part 女 (woman); make sure the whole character is balanced and not too wide.

矮 is the common word for short height, while 矫 means to correct or to pretend, and its right side 乔 means tall. 矬 also means short, but is less common and often describes a person as short and stout; 矮 is the standard and neutral term.

Use 矮 to describe a person, animal, or object that is short in height, such as 矮凳子 (low stool). It is neutral, but avoid directly calling a person 矮; instead, say 个子不高 (not tall). The word 高矮 (height) is a polite way to ask about someone's stature.

Common words containing 矮 include: 矮小 (ǎi xiǎo) — Short and small.; 高矮 (gāo ǎi) — height (tall and short); 矮凳 (ǎi dèng) — Low stool..