身高 literally means 'body height' and refers to a person’s vertical measurement from head to toe, typically expressed in centimeters or meters. It is a standard term used in medical check-ups, school records, sports assessments, and everyday comparisons—especially when discussing growth, physical development, or eligibility for activities like riding certain amusement park attractions or joining military service.

The first character 身 (shēn) means 'body' or 'person', while 高 (gāo) means 'tall' or 'high'. Together, they form a compound noun that emphasizes the physical dimension of the human body—not abstract 'height' (e.g., of a mountain), which uses 高度 (gāo dù). 身高 is neutral in register, appropriate in both formal and informal contexts, and always modified by measure words like 厘米 (centimeters) or 米 (meters), never directly by adjectives like 'tall' or 'short'.