Definition

1. Noun (Railway):

   • Quay; platform; wharf: A raised, level structure built beside railway tracks at a station or beside water at a port, for the convenient loading/unloading of goods or the boarding/alighting of passengers.

2. Adjective (Colloquial):

   • Stingy; miserly; tight-fisted: Describes a person who is extremely unwilling to spend money.
   • Rustic; uncouth; slow-witted (less common): Describes a person who is unsophisticated, awkward, or somewhat foolish.

3. Noun (Colloquial, from "kẽ răng"):

   • Tartar; dental plaque: The yellowish, hardened deposit that forms on teeth.
   • Drool; saliva: Spittle that flows from the mouth, especially during sleep.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Railway):

  • Hành khách đứng chờ trên ke. (Passengers wait on the platform.)
  • Hàng hóa được chất đống ở ke tàu. (Goods are piled up at the wharf.)

• Adjective (Stingy):

  • Ông chủ ấy ke lắm, chẳng bao giờ thưởng cho nhân viên. (That boss is very stingy; he never gives bonuses to the staff.)
  • Đừng có ke, mời tụi bạn ly cà phê đi. (Don't be so tight-fisted, buy your friends a cup of coffee.)

• Noun (Tartar/Drool):

  • Đánh răng kỹ để không bị ke. (Brush your teeth thoroughly to avoid tartar.)
  • Đứa bé ngủ, miệng chảy đầy ke. (The baby slept, drooling heavily.)

Advanced Usage

• "Vé ke": A platform ticket; a ticket allowing access to the railway platform (but not for travel).
  • Anh ta mua vé ke để tiễn người thân. (He bought a platform ticket to see off his relative.)

Variants and Related Words

• Keo kiệt (adj): Stingy, miserly. This is a more standard synonym for the adjective "ke."
• Bần tiện (adj): Mean, wretchedly stingy.
• Bến tàu (n): Wharf, pier (similar to the "ke" for ships).

Synonyms

• For "stingy": miserly, parsimonious, cheap, niggardly.
• For "platform": quay, dock, wharf, jetty.
• For "tartar": dental calculus, plaque.
• For "drool": saliva, slobber.

Related Idioms

• Ke có (adj phrase): An intensified form meaning extremely stingy or miserly.
  • Bà ấy ke có nổi tiếng trong xóm. (She is famously miserly in the neighborhood.)
• Giàu nhưng ke: Rich but stingy.
  • Ông ta giàu nhưng ke nên chẳng ai quý. (He is rich but stingy, so no one likes him.)

noun

1. quay; duck