尷尬

Chinese

FWOTD – 14 November 2018

	phonetic
trad. (尷尬)	尷	尬
simp. (尴尬)	尴	尬
alternative forms	尲尬間架／间架 Wu

Etymology

The original form, 尲尬 (OC *kreːm kreːds), was first attested in the 2^nd century CE in the ancient dictionary of Shuowen and was discernibly an ideophonic, disyllabic word of reduplicative nature (連綿詞).

The term 尲尬 seemed to have fallen into disuse by medieval times, except dialectally, in the Wu region. The dialectal form of it was revived in literature in the form of 尷尬 since the Yuan dynasty, and the colloquial Mandarin pronunciation gāngà was borrowed thence.

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): gāngà, jiānjiè
(Zhuyin): ㄍㄢㄍㄚˋ, ㄐㄧㄢㄐㄧㄝˋ
Cantonese
(Guangzhou, Jyutping): gaam³ gaai³, gaam¹ gaai³
(Taishan, Wiktionary): gam¹ gai¹
Hakka
(Sixian, PFS): kâm-kie / kâng-kie
(Meixian, Guangdong): gam¹ gê⁴
Min Dong (BUC): găng-gái
Min Nan
(Hokkien, POJ): kam-kài
(Teochew, Peng'im): gam³ gai³
Wu (Wiktionary): ke ka (T1)

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)
  - Hanyu Pinyin: gāngà
  - Zhuyin: ㄍㄢㄍㄚˋ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: gangà
  - Wade–Giles: kan¹-ka⁴
  - Yale: gān-gà
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: gangah
  - Palladius: ганьга (ganʹga)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /kän⁵⁵ kä⁵¹/
  - Homophones:
    [Show/Hide]
    ^edit
    ^edit
    尲尬
    尷尬／尴尬
- (Standard Chinese, literary variant in Taiwan)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: jiānjiè
  - Zhuyin: ㄐㄧㄢㄐㄧㄝˋ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: jianjiè
  - Wade–Giles: chien¹-chieh⁴
  - Yale: jyān-jyè
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: jianjieh
  - Palladius: цзяньцзе (czjanʹcze)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡ɕjɛn⁵⁵ t͡ɕjɛ⁵¹/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
  - Jyutping: gaam³ gaai³, gaam¹ gaai³
  - Yale: gaam gaai, gāam gaai
  - Cantonese Pinyin: gaam³ gaai³, gaam¹ gaai³
  - Guangdong Romanization: gam³ gai³, gam¹ gai³
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /kaːm³³ kaːi̯³³/, /kaːm⁵⁵ kaːi̯³³/
- (Taishanese, Taicheng)
  - Wiktionary: gam¹ gai¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /kam³³ kai³³/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: kâm-kie / kâng-kie
  - Hakka Romanization System: gam´ gie / gang´ gie
  - Hagfa Pinyim: gam¹ gie⁴ / gang¹ gie⁴
  - Sinological IPA: /kam²⁴⁻¹¹ ki̯e⁵⁵/, /kaŋ²⁴⁻¹¹ ki̯e⁵⁵/
- (Meixian)
  - Guangdong: gam¹ gê⁴
  - Sinological IPA: /kam⁴⁴⁻³⁵ ke⁵³/
Min Dong
- (Fuzhou)
  - Bàng-uâ-cê: găng-gái
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /kaŋ⁵⁵⁻⁵³ ^(k-)ŋɑi²¹³/
Min Nan
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: kam-kài
  - Tâi-lô: kam-kài
  - Phofsit Daibuun: kamkaix
  - IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou): /kam⁴⁴⁻²² kai²¹/
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /kam³³ kai⁴¹/
- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: gam³ gai³
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: kàm kài
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /kam²¹³⁻⁵⁵ kai²¹³/
Wu
- (Shanghainese)
  - Wiktionary: ke ka (T1)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ke̞⁵⁵ ka̱²¹/

Adjective

尷尬

(of a situation or person) awkward; embarrassing; uncomfortable
尷尬場面／尴尬场面 ― gāngà chǎngmiàn ― embarrassing scene
尷尬出局／尴尬出局 ― gāngà chūjú ― to be embarrassingly eliminated
他正處於跋前疐後的尷尬局面。 [MSC, trad.]
他正处于跋前疐后的尴尬局面。 [MSC, simp.]
Tā zhèng chǔyú báqiánzhìhòu de gāngà júmiàn. [Pinyin]
He is in a difficult dilemma.
- 除了1974年在墨西哥世錦賽位列第十四名，中國女排36年來從未遭遇如此尷尬的戰績。 [MSC, trad.]
  除了1974年在墨西哥世锦赛位列第十四名，中国女排36年来从未遭遇如此尴尬的战绩。 [MSC, simp.]
  From: 2010, 世锦赛中国女排跌出前八遭遇36年来最尴尬战绩
  Chúle 1974 nián zài Mòxīgē Shìjǐnsài wèiliè dì shísì míng, Zhōngguó nǚpái 36 nián lái cóngwèi zāoyù rúcǐ gāngà de zhànjì. [Pinyin]
  Apart from the 14th place in the 1974 Mexico Championship, for 36 years, the Chinese women's volleyball team has never encountered such an embarrassing result.
(of a person) embarrassed; uneasy; sheepish; flustered
神情尷尬／神情尴尬 ― shénqíng gāngà ― to have an embarrassed look
(dated, of a person) unusual; sneaky; strange
(Min Dong) impoverished; poor
(Hakka) irresolute; unreasonable

Synonyms

(awkward): 困窘 (kùnjiǒng), 狼狽／狼狈 (lángbèi), 難堪／难堪 (nánkān), 為難／为难 (wéinán); (Min Nan) 疑騃／疑𫘤

Derived terms

不尷不尬／不尴不尬 (bùgānbùgà)
不尷尬／不尴尬
半山勿尷尬／半山勿尴尬
尷尬局面／尴尬局面
尷尬症／尴尬症 (gāngàzhèng)
尷尬癌／尴尬癌

尷尬貨／尴尬货
尷尬頭／尴尬头
尷裡勿尷尬／尴里勿尴尬
尷裡尷尬／尴里尴尬
處境尷尬／处境尴尬 (chǔjìnggāngà)