尴尬

尷尬

gāngà

adjective HSK 7-9 #2,019

Meanings

1 awkward; embarrassing
2 in an awkward position

Characters

awkward (only used in this word)

awkward (only used in this word)

Both characters contain 尢 (lame, crippled) — evoking someone limping along uncomfortably. Neither character appears in any other common word.

Examples

场面非常尴尬。

Chǎngmiàn fēicháng gāngà.

The situation was extremely awkward.

他尴尬地笑了笑。

Tā gāngà de xiào le xiào.

He gave an awkward laugh.

我叫错了她的名字，好尴尬。

Wǒ jiào cuò le tā de míngzi, hǎo gāngà.

I called her by the wrong name, so embarrassing.

Tips

usage

尴尬 has become one of the most commonly used words in modern Chinese internet culture. 尬聊 (gàliáo, 'awkward chat') means forced, uncomfortable small talk. 尬舞 (gàwǔ) means embarrassingly bad dancing.

Stroke Order

尴 gān

尬 gà