尴 meaning and stroke order
Embarrassed; ill-at-ease
How to write 尴, stroke by stroke
13 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 尴
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- used in 尷尬|尴尬[gan1 ga4]
How 尴 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Lame.
尢 gives the meaning and 监 hints at the sound.
Radical: 尢 (weak), shared by 7 characters on this site.
How to remember 尴
尴 is built from 尢 (a lame leg, the meaning part) and 监 (jiān, the sound part). Picture someone limping while being watched and inspected, which feels awkward and uncomfortable.
尴 almost never appears alone. It lives inside the word 尴尬 (gāngà), meaning awkward or embarrassed, used for people, situations, and silences. Example: 气氛有点尴尬。(Qìfēn yǒudiǎn gāngà.) The atmosphere is a bit awkward.
Common mistake: Learners often write the left part as 九 or 尤 instead of 尢, which has no dot and a hooked final stroke. Also, 尴 is first tone gān, while 尬 is fourth tone gà, so do not say both syllables with the same tone.
Common words with 尴
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 尴尬 | gāngà | awkward; embarrassed | HSK 7-9 |
尴 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 尴
How many strokes are in 尴?
尴 is written with 13 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 尴 mean?
尴 (gān) means embarrassed; ill-at-ease. A common word with it is 尴尬 (gāngà), meaning "awkward; embarrassed".
How do you pronounce 尴?
尴 is pronounced gān, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 尴?
The radical of 尴 is 尢, which carries the idea of "weak". Dictionaries list 尴 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 尴?
The traditional form of 尴 is 尷. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 尴 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 尴 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 尴 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Can I use 尴 by itself to mean awkward?
No. On its own 尴 has no independent meaning in modern Chinese. Always use the full word 尴尬.
Is 尴尬 used for feeling embarrassed or for a situation being awkward?
Both. You can say 我很尴尬 (wǒ hěn gāngà), I feel embarrassed, or 这个情况很尴尬 (zhège qíngkuàng hěn gāngà), this situation is awkward. Online, people also say 尬聊 (gà liáo) for awkward small talk.