눈치
[눈치]nunchi
reading the room
Culture word
nunchi — the knack of sensing people's moods and unspoken signals
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Meaning & nuance
눈치 is the ability to pick up what others feel or want without being told. Someone with good 눈치 notices that a friend is upset, or senses when it is time to leave.
You will hear it in set phrases: 눈치가 빠르다 (quick to read the room), 눈치가 없다 (oblivious to the mood), 눈치를 보다 (to watch other people's reactions before you act, often a little anxiously) and 눈치채다 (to notice, to catch on).
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Examples
그는 눈치가 빨라서 내 기분이 안 좋은 걸 바로 알았어요.He reads people well, so he noticed right away that I was in a bad mood.
분위기가 안 좋은데 눈치 없이 계속 농담을 했어요.The mood was tense, but he kept joking without reading the room.
신입이라 아직 눈치를 많이 봐요.I'm new, so I'm still watching everyone's reactions.
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Forms & politeness
- 눈치가 빠르다
- quick to read the room
- 눈치가 없다
- can't read the room
- 눈치를 보다
- to watch others' reactions
- 눈치채다
- to notice, to catch on
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Hangul blocks
눈ㄴ + ㅜ + ㄴ치ㅊ + ㅣ
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Good to know
눈치채다 is written as one word: 비밀을 눈치챘어요 (I caught on to the secret).
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Related words
Dictionary: 표준국어대사전 · 눈치 ↗
Meanings are written in our own words. The link opens the Standard Korean Language Dictionary entry.