짧다
jjal-da
Short trousers, short hair, a short break: one Korean word
The picture The two ends sit close together, so the finish arrives almost as soon as you start. jjalda is two ends close together, over at once; gilda is an end that stays far off.
Where the picture shows up in 짧다
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The hem stops above the ankle
바지가 짧아서 발목이 보여요.
ba-ji-ga jjal-ba-seo bal-mo-gi bo-yeo-yo
These trousers are short, my ankles show.
A hand's width of bare ankle showing between the hem and the shoe
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The scissors leave the nape bare
머리를 짧게 잘라 주세요.
meo-ri-reul jjal-ge jal-la ju-se-yo
Please cut my hair short.
Hair drops wherever the scissors pass and the nape comes into view
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The bell rings as you sit
쉬는 시간이 너무 짧아요.
swi-neun si-ga-ni neo-mu jjal-ba-yo
The break is far too brief.
The cup is barely lifted after sitting down when the bell rings and you stand again
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The middle is lifted out
시간이 없으니까 짧게 말씀해 주세요.
si-ga-ni eop-seu-ni-kka jjal-ge mal-sseum-hae ju-se-yo
We're short on time, so please keep it brief.
A hand lifts the middle out of a long sentence, leaving only the start and the end
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The start date is only pages back
제가 아직 경력이 짧아서요.
je-ga a-jik gyeong-nyeo-gi jjal-ba-seo-yo
I've only just started in this job.
The calendar mark for the first day at work sits just a few pages back
With words like career or reach it carries the sense of falling short.
All of it in one picture
jjalda is the picture of two ends sitting close. The hem stops above the ankle and the trousers are short; the scissors pass and the nape shows, so cut it short; the bell rings as you sit down and the break is short. Lifting the middle out of a long sentence is speaking briefly, and a start date only a few pages back is a short career.