What nunchi is, and why English has no word for it
The usual translation of 눈치 ( nunchi ) is "reading the room". It is close enough to get you through a sentence, and it misses almost everything that matters. "Reading the room" is something you do. Nunchi is something you have. In English you can read a room badly on a Tuesday and it means nothing about you. In Korean, 눈치가 없다 — "he has no nunchi" — is a description of a person. It sits alongside kind, or stubborn, or tall. People say it about colleagues who will not be promoted and about relatives who will not be invited again. How to say it Tap a word to hear it. The italics are the standard romanization; the plain spelling after it is how it sounds to an English ear. 눈치 🔈 — nunchi , "noon-chee" — the thing itself 눈치가 빠르다 🔈 — nunchi-ga ppareuda , "noon-chee-ga PPA-ruh-da" — quick at it, a compliment 눈치가 없다 🔈 — nunchi-ga eopda , "noon-chee-ga up-TTA" — has none of it, a verd...