Chinese word

尴尬

Pronunciation

Pinyingān gà

Meaning

  • adjectiveawkward

Example

大家都沉默，场面很尴尬。dà jiā dōu chén mò chǎng miàn hěn gān gà

Everyone was silent, and the atmosphere was very awkward.

Illustration for 尴尬 (awkward)

More examples

他讲了一个笑话，成功打破了尴尬的沉默。tā jiǎng le yí gè xiào huà chéng gōng dǎ pò le gān gà de chén mò

He told a joke and successfully broke the awkward silence.

Core concept

Social discomfort appears when words, actions, or sudden events do not fit the moment and the normal flow of interaction stalls.

Common phrases

  • 感到有点尴尬gǎn dào yóu diǎn gān gà

    feel a little awkward

  • 露出尴尬的表情lù chū gān gà de biǎo qíng

    show an awkward expression

  • 打破尴尬的沉默dǎ pò gān gà de chén mò

    break the awkward silence

Similar words

不好意思bù hǎo yì si: Feeling embarrassed and hesitant because speaking up may trouble someone.
别扭biè niǔ: Uncomfortable and stiff, making natural behavior or interaction difficult.
难堪nán kān: So embarrassed that facing others feels difficult to bear.
为难wéi nán: Unable to respond easily because a request or situation is difficult to handle.

Definition in Chinese

指因不合时宜的言语或举动以及突发情形使人感到为难、局促，导致交流陷入僵局或现场氛围不自然的心理状态或情形。zhǐ yīn bù hé shí yí de yán yǔ huò jǔ dòng yǐ jí tū fā qíng xíng shǐ rén gǎn dào wéi nán jú cù dǎo zhì jiāo liú xiàn rù jiāng jú huò xiàn chǎng fēn wéi bú zì rán de xīn lǐ zhuàng tài huò qíng xíng

Word origin

尴尬 (gāngà, "awkward") is a modern two-character compound whose earlier sense described a constrained or out-of-place state and later extended to uncomfortable social situations.

Usage tips

  • Chinese can make either the scene or a person the subject of this adjective, so the sentence can focus on the strained atmosphere or on the individual's discomfort.

Other meanings

  • embarrassedadjective
  • stiltedadjective

Opposites

Related words

  • 尴尬感gān gà gǎnawkwardnessnoun

Word lists with this word