ကဲ

• IPA^(key): /kɛ́/
• Romanization: MLCTS: kai: • ALA-LC: kai • BGN/PCGN: kè: • Okell: kè

According to Hill (2019), the "overdo" sense is related to Old Chinese 嘉 (OC *kraːl, “excellent, auspicious; to praise”).

It is unclear whether the "oversee" sense is related to the "overdo" sense, though MED groups them together.

ကဲ • (kai:)

1. to overdo, exceed, go beyond accepted limit
2. to add more
3. to oversee, direct, command

ကဲ • (kai:)

1. (same as အကဲ (a.kai:)) ability, quality, chief, mood, disposition

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “Semantic extension of Etymology 1? A natural exclamation? Doesn't seem to be in STEDT or Luce 1981.”)

ကဲ • (kai:)

1. (colloquial) particle employed to gain someone's attention, comparable to expressions such as "well", "right!", "now!", "OK!"

• ကိုင်း (kuing:)

• “ကဲ” in Myanmar–English Dictionary (Myanmar Language Commission 1993). Searchable online at SEAlang.net.

From Proto-Tai *kajᴮ (“chicken”), from Middle Chinese 雞 (MC kej, “chicken”). Cognate with Thai ไก่ (gài), Northern Thai ᨠᩱ᩵ (kai), Lao ໄກ່ (kai), Lü ᦺᦂᧈ (k̇ay¹), Tai Dam ꪼꪀ꪿, Tai Dón ꪼꪀꫀ, Shan ၵႆႇ (kài), Tai Nüa ᥐᥭᥱ (kǎy), Aiton ကႝ (kay), Phake ကႝ (kay), Ahom 𑜀𑜩 (kay), Bouyei gais, Zhuang gaeq, Saek ไก. Compare Proto-Be *kajᴬ¹.

က︀ဲ (transliteration needed)

1. chicken.

ကဲ • (keh)

1. post-clausal auxiliary: be able to (have the physical or mental strength to do something)