Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Crunchy, undercooked, not fully cooked: Describes food, especially starchy tubers or baked goods, that is hard or crunchy because it is not fully cooked or is of poor quality that prevents it from becoming soft.
   • Immature, unpolished, lacking smoothness: Describes artistic works, language, or performances that are awkward, lack refinement, or are not yet fluent and smooth.

2. Verb (colloquial):

   • To feel slightly ashamed, embarrassed, or uneasy: To feel a sense of awkwardness, mild shame, or discomfort, often in a social context.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:

  • Củ khoai lang này luộc còn sượng. (This sweet potato is still hard/undercooked after boiling.)
  • Viên gạch bị sượng nên rất dễ vỡ. (The brick is underfired/not fully baked, so it breaks easily.)
  • Bài viết của anh ấy ý tưởng hay nhưng văn phong còn hơi sượng. (His essay has good ideas, but the writing style is still a bit awkward/unpolished.)
  • Động tác của vũ công mới đó trông còn sượng. (That new dancer's movements still look stiff/unnatural.)

• Verb:

  • Nghe lời khen quá đáng, tôi sượng cả người. (Hearing such excessive praise made me feel utterly embarrassed.)
  • Cứ nhắc đến chuyện cũ là nó lại sượng. (Whenever the old story is brought up, he feels uneasy/ashamed.)

Advanced Usage

• "sượng sượng" (reduplicated form, attenuated meaning): Slightly undercooked/hard; somewhat awkward.
  • Khoai hấp sượng sượng ăn cũng được. (The steamed taro is a bit undercooked, but it's still edible.)
  • Bài phát biểu sượng sượng nhưng chấp nhận được. (The speech was a bit awkward, but acceptable.)

Variants and Related Words

• Ngượng (verb/adjective): To be/become embarrassed, shy, awkward. This is a more standard and common synonym for the verb sense of .
  • Cô ấy ngượng khi bị chú ý. (She feels embarrassed when noticed.)
• Sượng trân (adjective, colloquial): Extremely embarrassed or awkward, frozen in embarrassment.
  • Bị bắt gặp đang hát, cậu ấy đứng sượng trân. (Caught singing, he stood there frozen in embarrassment.)

Synonyms

• Adjective (for food): Cứng (hard), sống (raw/undercooked), chưa chín (not yet ripe/cooked).
• Adjective (for style): Vụng về (clumsy), thiếu nhuần nhuyễn (lacking smoothness), gượng gạo (forced, unnatural).
• Verb (for feeling): Ngượng (embarrassed), bối rối (flustered), khó xử (awkward, in a difficult situation).

Related Idioms and Expressions

• "Sượng mặt": To feel one's face burn with shame/embarrassment.
  • Lỡ tay làm vỡ bình hoa, nó sượng mặt không dám nhìn ai. (Having accidentally broken the vase, he was too ashamed to look at anyone.)
• "Nói sượng": To speak in an awkward, unnatural, or unpolished way.
  • Lần đầu phát biểu trước đám đông, anh ấy nói còn rất sượng. (Speaking in public for the first time, he spoke very awkwardly.)

adj

1. crunchy immature

verb

1. to feel slightly ashamed, to feel uneasy