The masked shrew displays characters typical of all shrews. The slender, cylindrical body has a short, velvety, directionless fur. The long, tapered head ends in a flexible, tubular snout, with the narrow nostrils located on the outer edges of the tip. The small external ears are barely visible or are completely hidden by the fur. The eyes are tiny, the tail scantily haired and the limbs short. All are features adapting shrews to a semi-fossorial life between the interface of soil particles and plant debris.