The short keyword is used to declare a primitive Java data type containing a value in the range negative 32768 to positive 32767. A short is defined as 16 bits in length, regardless of what platform the Java bytecode resides on.
The contents of short variables can be cast to or from other numeric types.
The following example demonstrates declaration and assignment for a short variable:
private short squareFeet;
squareFeet = 4600;