寸が足りない · i-adjective
| Form | Positive | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| Dictionary | 寸が足りない | 寸が足りなくない |
| Polite | 寸が足りないです | 寸が足りなくないですalso 寸が足りなくありません |
| Past polite | 寸が足りなかったです | 寸が足りなくなかったですalso 寸が足りなくありませんでした |
| Past | 寸が足りなかった | 寸が足りなくなかった |
| Te-form | 寸が足りなくて | 寸が足りなくなくて |
| Adverbial | 寸が足りなく | |
| Conditional | 寸が足りなければ | 寸が足りなくなければ |
| Tara conditional | 寸が足りなかったら | 寸が足りなくなかったら |
too short; insufficient in length
Rare expression meaning something is physically too short or falls short of a required length. Often replaced by 短すぎる or 足りない in modern speech.
This cloth is too short, so let's look for another one.
People in the past said 'sun ga tarinai,' but it's not used much nowadays.
Rare kanji spelling; the phrase is usually written in kana.
Mixed spelling; rare.
寸 (すん) is a traditional unit of length (approx. 3.03 cm). The phrase literally means 'the sun is insufficient,' i.e., falls short of the required length. The exact historical origin is uncertain.