尬 gà awkward
awkward; embarrassed
How to remember 尬: 尢 weak + 介 between = awkward. His knees go weak when the boy finds himself standing between his ex and his new girlfriend at the party, smiling, utterly awkward.
Component breakdown
尬 = 尢 weak + 介 between
- 尢 weak
- 介 between
- 𠆢 tent
- 丿 falling stroke
- 丨 stick
His knees go weak when the boy finds himself standing between his ex and his new girlfriend at the party, smiling, utterly awkward.
How it is used
- A bound morpheme appearing only in 尴尬 (gāngà) awkward/embarrassing - 场面很尬 (colloquial clipping) or fully 气氛尴尬 (qìfēn gāngà) an awkward atmosphere.
- Recent internet slang detaches it: 尬聊 (gà liáo) forced/awkward chat, 尬舞 (gà wǔ) cringe-worthy dancing. 尬 never appears alone in standard writing.