Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Fully laden; heavily loaded: Describes something, typically a boat or vehicle, carrying a full load to its maximum capacity, often to the point where it sits low in the water.
   • Sufficient; just enough; fitting precisely: Indicates an amount or fit that is exactly adequate or perfectly meets a requirement.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Con thuyền chở hàng khẳm. (The boat is fully laden with cargo.)
  • Anh ấy ăn no khẳm. (He ate until he was completely full.)
  • Chiếc ống lắp khẳm vào lỗ. (The pipe fits snugly/precisely into the hole.)

Advanced Usage

• "vô khẳm": to have an excessive or overflowing amount of something (especially money).
  • Nhà họ giàu, tiền vô khẳm. (Their family is rich; they have money in abundance.)
• "đạt khẳm": to meet a requirement or standard exactly.
  • Sản phẩm phải đạt khẳm các tiêu chuẩn kỹ thuật. (The product must fully meet all technical standards.)

Variants and Related Words

• Khắm (adj., vulgar): An informal or vulgar variant meaning "just enough" or "sufficiently." It can also imply something is fitting or adequate, often used in colloquial speech.
  • Làm khắm vậy là được rồi. (Doing just that much is enough.)

Synonyms

• Đầy ắp: brimming, chock-full.
• Chật ních: packed, crammed full.
• Vừa vặn: fitting perfectly, just right.
• Vừa đủ: just enough, sufficient.

Notes on Meaning

• The primary meaning relates to a full load, especially for vessels.
• A secondary, more abstract meaning describes a state of sufficiency or precise fit.
• The word can sometimes carry a nuance of excess ("quá nhiều") when used in contexts like "no khẳm" (completely full) or "vô khẳm" (an overflowing amount).
• It is considered a somewhat literary or older word ("cũ") in modern Vietnamese but is still understood and used for descriptive emphasis.

adj

1. laden; loaded
   • thuyền chở khẳm
     fully laden boat