nunchi
Language: Korean · [nun.tɕʰi] · Pronunciation: NOON-chee
More Korean words · More words about people
Meaning
the knack of sensing a room's mood and acting on it
The story
Literally 'eye-measure': the knack of clocking what a room wants before anyone says it. Korean parents rank it above book smarts, and a sharp operator is praised for having fast nunchi. English spreads the same skill thinly across tact and reading the room.
The four rounds
- Which language is it from?
- Korean
- How does it sound to native speakers?
- An everyday word, said to children
- Where would you hear it?
- A meeting where the boss goes quiet
- What does it mean?
- Reading the mood of a room
How it went
Harder than most words so far.
Round three, situation, was where most points went.
More Korean words
- jeong blind word
the deep attachment that grows between people over time - hoesik blind word
the team meal and drinks after work, often with the boss paying - ppalli-ppalli practice word
quickly, quickly — hurry up
More words about people
- machatunim blind word
the parents of your child's spouse — your co-in-laws - imieniny practice word
your name day, the feast of the saint you are named after - friolero 2026-09-09
someone who always feels the cold — nesh, as the North says - cafuné 2026-09-15
tenderly running your fingers through someone's hair — a slow caress - tertulia practice word
a regular get-together to talk, often in a café — a salon - xodó practice word
the person or thing you dote on — your darling
2026-09-29 · ‹ Previous word · All words