短期

• Reading: たんき
• Romaji: tanki
• Kanji breakdown: 短 (tan) — short; 期 (ki) — period, term, time
• Pronunciation: /taɴ.ki/

Meaning

Short-term; short period. Describes something lasting or planned for a brief duration.

A noun functioning as a no-adjective to modify other nouns, describing a brief time span. Widely used in business, education, and finance: 短期留学 (short-term study abroad), 短期契約 (short-term contract), 短期間 (short period). The opposite is 長期 (chōki, long-term). Often appears in compound expressions and is a staple of formal and semi-formal writing.

Examples

1. 短期留学でオーストラリアに三か月滞在した。 I stayed in Australia for three months on a short-term study abroad program.
2. この仕事は短期の契約だから更新が必要だ。 This job is a short-term contract, so it needs to be renewed.
3. 短期間でこれだけの成果を出すのはすごい。 It's impressive to achieve this much in such a short period.

Usage Guide

Context: business, education, finance, contracts

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

From Sino-Japanese: 短 (tan, short) + 期 (ki, period/term). A straightforward compound combining 'short' with 'time period,' widely used in both Japanese and Chinese.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal