Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Prickly, tingling: Describes a sensation on the skin that is slightly sharp, prickly, or causes goosebumps, often due to cold, fear, or a strong emotional reaction.
   • Rough, coarse: Describes a texture that is not smooth, having small, sharp, or abrasive points.

Usage Examples

• Adjective: (Listening to the ghost story, I felt a prickling sensation down my spine.) (The cold wind made my skin feel prickly.) (The surface of this plank is rough/coarse.)

Advanced Usage

• Often used reduplicatively as "gai gai" to emphasize a mild, spreading, or recurring sensation, rather than a single sharp prick ("gai").
• Can describe an emotional state that induces a physical reaction, such as fear, awe, or excitement.

Variants and Related Words

• Gai (n): A thorn, spine, or prickle. (Roses have many thorns.)
• Gai góc (adj): Literally "thorny and angular"; figuratively meaning difficult, complicated, or having a prickly personality.
• Nổi gai ốc (idiomatic phrase): To have goosebumps (literally, "for goosebumps to rise").

Synonyms

• Prickly: Having a sensation like small sharp points.
• Tingling: A slight stinging or prickling feeling.
• Goosebumpy: Characterized by goosebumps.
• Coarse: Rough or harsh in texture.

Related Idioms

• Nổi da gà: To get goosebumps (literally, "for chicken skin to rise"). This is a very common synonym for the sensation described by "gai gai". (That song was so good it gave me goosebumps.)