Translation guide
The English word 'length' covers physical measurement, duration, and extent. Japanese uses different words depending on what is being measured.
The measurement of something from end to end, like a rope, table, or road.
General word for physical length. Used for objects, distances, and abstract lengths.
The length of this rope is 5 meters.
Please measure the length of the desk.
Overall length, total length. Often used for vehicles, animals, or large objects.
Length of clothing, especially for kimono or pants. Also used for height of a person (archaic).
How long something lasts, like a movie, meeting, or trip.
Also used for duration, though slightly less common than for physical length. Natural in many contexts.
The extent of a text, document, or spoken content.
Works for any kind of content length.
Duration of a phonetic segment in linguistics or language learning.
Used in phonetics.
The phrase 'at length' meaning thoroughly or after a long time.
Means 'in detail'. Used when 'at length' means thoroughly.
To make a lot of effort to achieve something.
Literally 'make every effort'. Natural equivalent.
長さ only refers to length (the longest dimension). For height use 高さ (たかさ), for width use 幅 (はば).
Both can express duration, but 時間 is more common in everyday questions like 'How long is the meeting?' (会議の時間はどのくらいですか？). 長さ sounds slightly more formal or written.
The length of the bridge is 300 meters.
この車の全長は4.5メートルです。
The overall length of this car is 4.5 meters.
I had the length of the kimono altered.
映画の長さは2時間です。
The length of the movie is 2 hours.
Literally 'time', but often used where English says 'length' for durations. More common in speech.
What is the length of the meeting? (How long is the meeting?)
Pattern: [event] + の長さ. Works for both physical and temporal length.
The length of the trip is one week.
レポートの長さは10ページです。
The length of the report is 10 pages.
Refers to quantity or volume of writing, often used for books, articles, or homework.
This book is long (has a lot of content).
日本語では母音の長さが意味を変えることがあります。
In Japanese, vowel length can change the meaning.
He spoke at length about the problem.
Means 'at great length', often with a nuance of being too long or tedious.
He gave a speech at length (and it was long-winded).
Means 'finally' or 'at last'. Used when 'at length' means after a long time.
At length, he arrived.
He went to great lengths to succeed.
Means 'spare no effort/trouble'. Emphasizes not hesitating to take time and effort.
She went to great lengths to prepare the meal.
She explained the situation at length.