Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Having a poor appetite; eating little: Describes a state of reduced desire or ability to eat, often due to health, mood, or environmental factors.
   • Of poor quality for eating; unpalatable: Can describe food that is not tasty or of low quality, though this usage is less common for the phrase itself.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Dạo này tôi cảm thấy kém ăn. (Lately, I have been feeling like I have a poor appetite.)
  • Trẻ con ốm thường kém ăn. (Sick children often eat poorly / have a poor appetite.)
  • Món này kém ăn quá. (This dish is not very palatable.)

Advanced Usage

• "Ăn uống kém ăn": A redundant but emphatic phrase meaning "to eat and drink poorly," highlighting a sustained period of low food intake.
  • Sau phẫu thuật, bệnh nhân ăn uống kém ăn. (After surgery, the patient has been eating very poorly.)

Variants and Related Words

• Biếng ăn (adj): A more specific term often meaning "fussy about food" or "having no appetite," frequently used for children.
  • Bé lười ăn, rất biếng ăn. (The child is lazy about eating, very fussy with food.)
• Chán ăn (adj): Means "to be fed up with eating" or "to have lost one's appetite," often implying a psychological or temporary aversion.
  • Cô ấy đang stress nên chán ăn. (She is stressed so she has lost her appetite.)
• Ăn ít (verb phrase): The direct descriptive phrase "to eat little."
  • Người già thường ăn ít hơn. (Elderly people often eat less.)

Synonyms

• Poor appetite: The most direct translation for the primary meaning.
• Loss of appetite: Emphasizes the reduction from a normal state.
• To eat poorly/lightly: Describes the action resulting from the state.

Related Phrases

• Kém ngủ (adj): The analogous structure for sleep, meaning "to sleep poorly."
  • Lo lắng khiến anh ấy kém ăn kém ngủ. (Worry causes him to eat and sleep poorly.)

Related Idioms

• Kém ăn kém ngủ: A common paired idiom describing a state of physical and mental unease, often due to worry or illness, leading to poor eating and sleeping.
  • Vì lo cho kỳ thi, nó kém ăn kém ngủ mấy hôm nay. (Because of worrying about the exam, he has been eating and sleeping poorly for the last few days.)