Korean word

난감하다

Pronunciation

Romanizationnangamhada

Meaning

  • adjectiveawkward

Example

지금 상황이 정말 난감하네요.chi geum sang hwang i cheong mal nan gam ha ne yo

The situation right now is really awkward.

Illustration for 난감하다 (awkward)

More examples

해결 방법이 없어 보여서 난감해요.hae gyeol pang beo bi eop sseo po yeo seo nan gam hae yo

I am at a loss because there seems to be no way to solve it.

Core concept

A problem leaves a person unsure how to deal with it, making the situation awkward.

Common phrases

  • 상황이 난감하다sang hwang i nan gam ha da

    be in an awkward situation

  • 처리가 난감하다cheo ri ga nan gam ha da

    be difficult to handle

  • 난감한 질문nan gam han chil mun

    awkward question

Similar words

곤란하다kollanhada: Being in a difficult spot because accepting or responding to a request feels uncomfortable.
난처하다nancheohada: Feeling embarrassed or awkward after an unexpected problem or small mistake.
당황스럽다tanghwangseureoptta: Feeling flustered and unable to stay calm after something sudden happens.
곤혹스럽다konhoksseureoptta: Feeling confused by a complicated problem that is difficult to explain or resolve.

Definition in Korean

처리하기 어렵거나 어떻게 해야 할지 몰라 곤란한 상태를 이르는 형용사.cheo ri ha gi eo ryeop kkeo na eo tteo ke hae ya hal ji mol la kol lan han sang tae reul i reu neun hyeong yong sa

Word origin

The Sino-Korean term behind it originally meant difficult to endure and came to describe situations that are hard to handle or address.

Usage tips

  • In conversation, it can soften a refusal by showing that a request or situation puts the speaker in an uncomfortable bind.

Other meanings

  • at a lossadjective
  • troublesomeadjective

Opposites

  • 수월하다suwolhadaeasyadjective

Related words

  • 난감함nangamhamawkwardnessnoun
  • 난감스럽다nangamseureopttaawkwardadjective

Word lists with this word