矮 (ǎi): short (of height)

Meanings

1 short (of height)
2 low

Characters

Combines 矢 (arrow) on the left with phonetic 委 on the right — anchored in the 'measuring' family with a faint bowing-low nuance.

Examples

他比我矮一点。

Tā bǐ wǒ ǎi yìdiǎn.

He's a bit shorter than me.

这棵树很矮。

Zhè kē shù hěn ǎi.

This tree is very short.

矮的那个人是我弟弟。

Ǎi de nà ge rén shì wǒ dìdi.

The short one is my younger brother.

Tips

usage

矮 is used for people and objects (height). For 'low' in abstract senses like temperature or price, use 低.

Components

radical

矢 shǐ

arrow

Left-side indexing radical 矢 (arrow) — historically arrows were used as a length standard for measuring height. The radical groups other measure / range characters (短 short, 矩 carpenter's square). Here it anchors 矮 in the 'measuring how tall' family rather than providing a literal arrow image.

phonetic

委 wěi

to entrust; bend down

Right-side 委 supplies the sound (wěi → ǎi, a heavy initial drift but preserved final). Faintly semantic too: 委 contains 禾 over 女 and carries a 'bowing, bending low' nuance, which fits the 'low, short' meaning. Same phonetic in 萎 (wither) and 倭 (short, ancient name for Japan).