Meaning
눈치 (nunchi) is the ability to infer another person's feelings, intentions, or the social situation from indirect cues even when those things are not stated explicitly; it can also refer to the signs or expressions that reveal such a situation.
How it is used
The National Institute of Korean Language defines 눈치 first as the ability to understand someone's mind or a situation without being told and second as an attitude or facial expression that allows others to infer what is happening. Common constructions include 눈치가 있다/없다 and 눈치를 보다 or 살피다.
Examples
- “그는 눈치가 빨라서 분위기를 금방 알아챘다.”
- “회의에서 서로 눈치를 보는 분위기였어요.”
Pronunciation
/nuntɕʰi/ · noon-chee
Tone and register
Usually neutral when describing social awareness, but saying someone has no nunchi can criticize them as tactless or poor at reading the situation.
Visitor guidance
Do not turn nunchi into a claim that every Korean person has one fixed communication style or is naturally indirect. It is a Korean lexical concept used to discuss social perception, and individuals differ widely in how they communicate and interpret cues.
Cultural context
Nunchi often attracts translation interest because English words such as tact, awareness, reading the room, or social sense each capture only part of its range. The word is nationwide Korean and belongs in the Seoul guide as practical comprehension vocabulary rather than a city-specific localism.
Places represented
Open the reviewed place guide for each regional sense carried by this canonical entry.