Translation guide
This entry covers how to express the idea of 'several lines' in Japanese, focusing on written text, poetry, and spoken references to multiple lines of text.
Referring to a small number of lines in a written document, message, or text.
The most common and neutral way to say 'several lines'. 数 means 'several' and 行 means 'line' (of text). Used in both spoken and written Japanese.
His email was only a few lines.
I left a note of a few lines.
Literally 'some lines', more colloquial than 数行. Often used when the exact number is vague or unimportant.
I wrote a few lines.
Means 'about several lines', emphasizing the approximate quantity. Slightly formal.
A response of about a few lines is fine.
Referring to lines in a poem, song lyrics, or haiku.
Referring to lines spoken by an actor or speaker.
セリフ means 'lines' in a dramatic context. Use this for theater, film, or TV.
He forgot a few lines.
Referring to drawn or printed lines, not text.
Use 線 (line) with the counter 本 for long, thin objects. This refers to physical lines, not text.
I drew several lines on the paper.
For lines of text, use 行 (ぎょう). For physical lines (drawn, cables, etc.), use 本 (ほん) with 線 (せん). Using the wrong counter can cause confusion.
This would be unnatural; it mixes text counter with physical line.
A few lines of the song's lyrics stuck in my mind.