Nunchi

Nunchi
Hangul	눈치
Revised Romanization	Nunchi
McCune–Reischauer	Nunch'i

Nunchi (or noonchi) refers to a concept in Korean culture that describes the subtle art and ability to listen and gauge others' moods. In Western culture, nunchi could be described as the concept of emotional intelligence. In Korea, it is the person's kibun being read, which is his or hers pride, mood, or state of mind. It is of central importance to the dynamics of interpersonal relationships in Korean culture. Nunchi is literally translated as "eye-measure". It is closely related to the broader concept of paralanguage, however nunchi also relies on an understanding of one's status relative to the person with whom they're interacting. It can be seen as the embodiment of skills necessary to communicate effectively in Korea's high context culture.

Nunchi in popular culture

• The concept of nunchi, and one's abundance or lack thereof, forms the basis of many common expressions and idioms. For example, a socially clumsy person can be described as nunchi eoptta (눈치 없다), meaning "absent of nunchi."
• The concept of nunchi was relayed in Cracked under the article, The 10 Coolest Foreign Words The English Language Needs.^[1]

See also

• List of Korea-related topics
• Korean culture
• Korean language

References

1. ^ The 10 Coolest Foreign Words The English Language Needs April 13, 2009

External links

• Korean Culture: Kibun and Nunchi - Forum discussion of the concepts of kibun and nunchi.
• The English Connection Nov. 2000 Volume 4 / Issue 6 (PDF) - A discussion of nunchi with respect to non-Korean teachers in Korea.