Nunchi refers to a concept in Korean culture, described as "the subtle art of listening and gauging another's mood". ^[1] 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.

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".

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

• 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.

Category:Korean culture Category:Korean words and phrases Category:Interpersonal relationships