# 尷尬
## Chinese

* 尷尬

### Etymology

The original form, 尲尬 (OC *kreːm kreːds), was first attested in the 2nd 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): ㄍㄢ ㄍㄚˋ, ㄐㄧㄢ ㄐㄧㄝˋ
* Cantonese
    (Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): gaam$^3$ gaai$^3$ / gaam$^1$ gaai$^3$
    (Taishan, Wiktionary): gam$^1$ gai$^1$
* Hakka
    (Sixian, PFS): kâm-kie / kâng-kie
    (Meixian, Guangdong): gam$^1$ gê$^4$
* Eastern Min (BUC): găng-gái
* Southern Min
    (Hokkien, POJ): kam-kài
    (Teochew, Peng'im): gam$^3$ gai$^3$
* Wu (Northern, Wugniu): $^1$ke-ka / $^1$ke-kaon$_5$ / $^1$kaen-ka$_1$
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: gāngà
*** Zhuyin: ㄍㄢ ㄍㄚˋ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: gangà
*** Wade–Giles: kan$^1$-ka$^4$
*** Yale: gān-gà
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: gangah
*** Palladius: ганьга (ganʹga)
*** Sinological IPA : /kän⁵⁵ kä⁵¹/
*** Homophones: [Show/Hide]$^{edit}$尲尬 尷尬／尴尬
** (Standard Chinese, literary variant in Taiwan)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: jiānjiè
*** Zhuyin: ㄐㄧㄢ ㄐㄧㄝˋ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: jianjiè
*** Wade–Giles: chien$^1$-chieh$^4$
*** Yale: jyān-jyè
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: jianjieh
*** Palladius: цзяньцзе (czjanʹcze)
*** Sinological IPA : /t͡ɕi̯ɛn⁵⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɛ⁵¹/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: gaam$^3$ gaai$^3$ / gaam$^1$ gaai$^3$
*** Yale: gaam gaai / gāam gaai
*** Cantonese Pinyin: gaam$^3$ gaai$^3$ / gaam$^1$ gaai$^3$
*** Guangdong Romanization: gam$^3$ gai$^3$ / gam$^1$ gai$^3$
*** Sinological IPA : /kaːm³³ kaːi̯³³/, /kaːm⁵⁵ kaːi̯³³/
** (Taishanese, Taicheng)
*** Wiktionary: gam$^1$ gai$^1$
*** Sinological IPA : /kam³³ kai³³/
* Hakka
** (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
*** Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: kâm-kie / kâng-kie
*** Hakka Romanization System: gam$^ˊ$ gie / gang$^ˊ$ gie
*** Hagfa Pinyim: gam$^1$ gie$^4$ / gang$^1$ gie$^4$
*** Sinological IPA: /kam²⁴⁻¹¹ ki̯e⁵⁵/, /kaŋ²⁴⁻¹¹ ki̯e⁵⁵/
** (Meixian)
*** Guangdong: gam$^1$ gê$^4$
*** Sinological IPA: /kam⁴⁴⁻³⁵ ke⁵³/
* Eastern Min
** (Fuzhou)
*** Bàng-uâ-cê: găng-gái
*** Sinological IPA : /kaŋ⁵⁵⁻⁵³ $^{(k-)}$ŋɑi²¹³/
* Southern Min
** (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: gam$^3$ gai$^3$
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: kàm kài
*** Sinological IPA : /kam²¹³⁻⁵⁵ kai²¹³/
* Wu
** (Northern: Shanghai)
*** Wugniu: $^1$ke-ka
*** MiniDict: ke$^平$ ka
*** Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): $^1$ke-ka
*** Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /ke⁵⁵ ka²¹/
** (Northern: Suzhou)
*** Wugniu: $^1$ke-kaon$_5$
*** MiniDict: ke$^平$ kaon$^去$
*** Sinological IPA (Suzhou): /ke⁴⁴ kɑ̃/
** (Northern: Hangzhou)
*** Wugniu: $^1$kaen-ka$_1$
*** MiniDict: kaen$^平$ ka$^平$
*** Sinological IPA (Hangzhou): /kẽ̞³³ kɑ³⁴/

### Adjective

尷尬
* (of a situation or person) awkward; embarrassing; uncomfortable [from 17th c.]
    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
       Tā zhèng chǔyú báqiánzhìhòu de gāngà júmiàn. [Pinyin]
       He is in a difficult dilemma.
    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 [from 17th c.]
    神情尷尬／神情尴尬 ― shénqíng gāngà ― to have an embarrassed look
* (dated, of a person) unusual; sneaky; strange [from 17th c.]
* (Eastern Min) 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); (Hokkien) 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