啱

啱 (Kangxi radical 30, 口+8, 11 strokes, cangjie input 口山一口 (RUMR), composition ⿰口岩)

• Kangxi Dictionary: not present, would follow page 196, character 26
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): not present, would follow volume 1, page 641, character 8
• Unihan data for U+5571

Probably a Kra-Dai substrate word (Li, 1990). Compare Zhuang ngamq (“just; exactly; only”), Hlai ngamx (“suitable”), Thai งาม (ngaam, “beautiful”), Vietnamese ngám (“just right”).

Alternatively, some postulate that this is derived from 恰 (hap1, “just; coincidentally; suitable”) or 諳 (am1, “to know; familiar with”).

啱 (chiefly Cantonese, Hakka, Malaysian and Singapore Hokkien, Hainanese, Puxian Min, Southern Pinghua)

1. correct; right

   答啱咗八題／答啱咗八题 [Cantonese]  ―  daap³ ngaam¹ zo² baat³ tai⁴ [Jyutping]  ―  to have answered eight questions correctly

   噉做好似唔係好啱喎。 [Cantonese, trad.]
   噉做好似唔系好啱㖞。 [Cantonese, simp.]

   gam² zou⁶ hou² ci⁵ m⁴ hai⁶ hou² ngaam¹ wo³. [Jyutping]

   Doing it like this does not seem to be correct.

2. to fit; to be appropriate; to be suitable

   啱細路仔飲／啱细路仔饮 [Cantonese]  ―  ngaam¹ sai³ lou⁶ zai² jam² [Jyutping]  ―  suitable for consumption by children

   啱心水 [Cantonese]  ―  ngaam¹ sam¹ seoi² [Jyutping]  ―  to be one's preference

3. just now; a moment ago

   啱啱 [Cantonese]  ―  ngaam¹ ngaam¹ [Jyutping]  ―  just now; just

4. by chance; coincidentally
5. (Cantonese) compatible; getting along

   佢哋兩個不嬲都唔啱㗎。 [Cantonese, trad.]
   佢哋两个不嬲都唔啱㗎。 [Cantonese, simp.]

   keoi⁵ dei⁶ loeng⁵ go³ bat¹ lau¹ dou¹ m⁴ ngaam¹ gaa³. [Jyutping]

   They were not compatible with each other all along.

• (correct):

• (Malaysia, Singapore, Mandarin) 準／准 (zhǔn)
• (to fit): 符合 (fúhé)
• (appropriate): 適合／适合 (shìhé)
• (appropriate, as an adjective only): 合適／合适 (héshì)
• (just now):

啱: Hán Nôm readings: nhàm

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.