Nunchi: Difference between revisions

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

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Nunchi, sometimes noonchi, is a Korean concept signifying the subtle art and ability to listen and gauge others' moods. It first appears in the 17th century as nunch'ŭi (眼勢 in Chinese characters), meaning "eye force/power".^[1] In Western culture, nunchi could be described as the concept of emotional intelligence. It is of central importance to the dynamics of interpersonal relationships.^{[citation needed]} Nunchi is literally translated as "eye-measure".^[2] Nunchi is closely related to the broader concept of paralanguage but 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 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 "absence of nunchi".

Nunchi (눈치) is briefly defined as the high social sensitivity of Koreans that basically means they are able to ascertain others' moods by being around them and talking to them. They are sensitive to what others say indirectly, because they want to maintain harmony. They sense someone's kibun, a Korean word that relates to mood, current feelings, and the state of mind. Facilitating nunchi, encouraging the use of this skill, is expected to result in rich understanding. It is of central importance to the dynamics of interpersonal relationships. With nunchi, Koreans are using nonverbal cues to convey emotion and meaning through various means, including voice pitch and volume as well as intonation. Because Korea, as with other high-context cultures caters toward in-groups that have similar experiences and expectations and from which inferences are drawn, many things are left unsaid here. The culture does the explaining, in effect. Both kibun and nunchi are very difficult concepts for non-Koreans to get the hang of, and they will generally be forgiven for their ignorance of these concepts and consequent rude behavior, especially if they are high on the status ladder. However, one gains more than one loses by trying to understand and, as much as possible, behaving according to these rules of behavior. In Korea, personal relations frequently take precedence over business. In order to be successful, it is vital to establish good, personal relationships based on mutual trust and benefit. Koreans judge this by nunchi to get a basic understanding of the individual they just met. Korean business culture is firmly grounded in respectful rapport and in order to establish this, it is essential to have the right introduction to approach the company. Koreans will use nunchi to make sure the right approach is being used, often through a mutual friend or acquaintance at the appropriate level. Koreans spend a significant amount of time developing and fostering personal contacts. Therefore, time should be allocated for this process, particularly during the first meeting, which is frequently used to simply establish rapport and build trust.

The phrase nunchi itda (눈치 있다) refers to someone who's quick-witted, can understand the situation quickly, or has common sense. Another way to say this is nunchi ppareuda (눈치 빠르다), to have quick nunchi.

References

^ "‘눈치’는 17세기 처음 ‘눈츼(眼勢)’로 나타난다." "Nunchi first appeared as nunch'ŭi (眼勢). in the 17th century." "눈치 국립국어원". www.korean.go.kr. National Institute of Korean Language.
^ Vegdahl, Sonja; Hur, Ben (15 September 2008). CultureShock! Korea: A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette. Marshall Cavendish International Asia Pte Ltd. p. 36. ISBN 9789814408943.

http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.umuc.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=9f517bd0-f79c-4e28-9703-0ddf5c2f1063%40sessionmgr4007 https://seoulistic.com/learn-korean/make-sure-youre-not-totally-clueless-in-korea-%EB%88%88%EC%B9%98-nunchi/ http://sk.sagepub.com.ezproxy.umuc.edu/reference/the-sage-encyclopedia-of-intercultural-competence

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[1] "‘눈치’는 17세기 처음 ‘눈츼(眼勢)’로 나타난다." "Nunchi first appeared as nunch'ŭi (眼勢). in the 17th century." "눈치 국립국어원". www.korean.go.kr. National Institute of Korean Language.

[VegdahlHur2008-2] Vegdahl, Sonja; Hur, Ben (15 September 2008). CultureShock! Korea: A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette. Marshall Cavendish International Asia Pte Ltd. p. 36. ISBN 9789814408943.

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-'''''Nunchi''''', sometimes '''''noonchi''''', is a Korean concept signifying the subtle art and ability to listen and gauge others' moods. It first appears in the 17th century as ''nunch'ŭi'' (眼勢 in Chinese characters), meaning "eye force/power".<ref>"‘눈치’는 17세기 처음 ‘눈츼(眼勢)’로 나타난다." "Nunchi first appeared as ''nunch'ŭi'' (眼 勢). in the 17th century." {{cite web |title=눈치 국립국어원 |url=https://www.korean.go.kr/front/onlineQna/onlineQnaView.do?&mn_id=&qna_seq=35449&pageIndex=11261 |website=www.korean.go.kr |publisher=National Institute of Korean Language}}</ref> In Western culture, nunchi could be described as the concept of [[emotional intelligence]]. It is of central importance to the dynamics of [[interpersonal relationship]]s.{{fact|date=May 2012}} ''Nunchi'' is literally translated as "eye-measure".<ref name="VegdahlHur2008">{{cite book|last1=Vegdahl|first1=Sonja|last2=Hur|first2=Ben|title=CultureShock! Korea: A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Jv2IAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA36|date=15 September 2008|publisher=Marshall Cavendish International Asia Pte Ltd|isbn=9789814408943|page=36}}</ref>  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 [[high context culture]].
+'''''Nunchi''''', sometimes '''''noonchi''''', is a Korean concept signifying the subtle art and ability to listen and gauge others' moods. It first appears in the 17th century as ''nunch'ŭi'' (眼勢 in Chinese characters), meaning "eye force/power".<ref>"‘눈치’는 17세기 처음 ‘눈츼(眼勢)’로 나타난다." "Nunchi first appeared as ''nunch'ŭi'' (眼 勢). in the 17th century." {{cite web |title=눈치 국립국어원 |url=https://www.korean.go.kr/front/onlineQna/onlineQnaView.do?&mn_id=&qna_seq=35449&pageIndex=11261 |website=www.korean.go.kr |publisher=National Institute of Korean Language}}</ref> In Western culture, ''nunchi'' could be described as the concept of [[emotional intelligence]]. It is of central importance to the dynamics of [[interpersonal relationship]]s.{{fact|date=May 2012}} ''Nunchi'' is literally translated as "eye-measure".<ref name="VegdahlHur2008">{{cite book|last1=Vegdahl|first1=Sonja|last2=Hur|first2=Ben|title=CultureShock! Korea: A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Jv2IAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA36|date=15 September 2008|publisher=Marshall Cavendish International Asia Pte Ltd|isbn=9789814408943|page=36}}</ref> ''Nunchi'' is closely related to the broader concept of [[paralanguage]] but 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 [[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 "absence of nunchi."
+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 "absence of ''nunchi''".
-눈치 Nunchi is briefly defined as the high social sensitivity of Koreans which basically means they are able to ascertain others moods by being around them and talking to them. They are sensitive to what others say indirectly, because they want to maintain harmony. They do this by the use of the skill named "nunchi" which literally means eye measure in Korean, they sense someone's "kibun", Kibun is a Korean word which relates to mood, current feelings, and the state of mind. Facilitating nunchi, encouraging the use of this skill, is expected to result in rich understanding. It is of central importance to the dynamics of interpersonal relationships. With nunchi, Koreans are using non-verbal cues to convey emotion and meaning through various means, including voice pitch and volume as well as intonation. Nunchi  also relies heavily on an understanding of one's status relative to the person with whom one is interacting. Because Korea, as with other high-context cultures caters toward in-groups that have similar experiences and expectations and from which inferences are drawn, many things are left unsaid here. The culture does the explaining, in effect.   Both Kibun and Nunchi are very difficult concepts for non-Koreans to get the hang of and they will generally be forgiven for their ignorance of these concepts and consequent rude behavior, especially if they are high on the status ladder. However, one gains more than one loses by trying to understand and, as much as possible, behaving according to these rules of behavior.   In Korea, personal relations frequently take precedence over business. In order to be successful, it is vital to establish good, personal relationships based on mutual trust and benefit Koreans judge this by Nunchi to get a base understanding of the individual they just met. Korean business culture is firmly grounded in respectful rapport and in order to establish this, it is essential to have the right introduction to approach the company. Koreans will use Nunchi to make sure the right approach is being used, often through a mutual friend or acquaintance at the appropriate level. Koreans spend a significant amount of time developing and fostering personal contacts. Therefore, time should be allocated for this process, particularly during the first meeting, which is frequently used to simply establish rapport and build trust.
+''Nunchi'' (눈치) is briefly defined as the high social sensitivity of Koreans that basically means they are able to ascertain others' moods by being around them and talking to them. They are sensitive to what others say indirectly, because they want to maintain harmony. They sense someone's ''kibun'', a Korean word that relates to mood, current feelings, and the state of mind. Facilitating ''nunchi'', encouraging the use of this skill, is expected to result in rich understanding. It is of central importance to the dynamics of interpersonal relationships. With ''nunchi'', Koreans are using nonverbal cues to convey emotion and meaning through various means, including voice pitch and volume as well as intonation. Because Korea, as with other high-context cultures caters toward in-groups that have similar experiences and expectations and from which inferences are drawn, many things are left unsaid here. The culture does the explaining, in effect. Both ''kibun'' and ''nunchi'' are very difficult concepts for non-Koreans to get the hang of, and they will generally be forgiven for their ignorance of these concepts and consequent rude behavior, especially if they are high on the status ladder. However, one gains more than one loses by trying to understand and, as much as possible, behaving according to these rules of behavior.   In Korea, personal relations frequently take precedence over business. In order to be successful, it is vital to establish good, personal relationships based on mutual trust and benefit. Koreans judge this by ''nunchi'' to get a basic understanding of the individual they just met. Korean business culture is firmly grounded in respectful rapport and in order to establish this, it is essential to have the right introduction to approach the company. Koreans will use ''nunchi'' to make sure the right approach is being used, often through a mutual friend or acquaintance at the appropriate level. Koreans spend a significant amount of time developing and fostering personal contacts. Therefore, time should be allocated for this process, particularly during the first meeting, which is frequently used to simply establish rapport and build trust.
-The phrase 눈치 있다 (nunchi itda) refers to someone who's quick witted, can understand the situation quickly, or has common sense. Another way to say this is 눈치 빠르다 (nunchi ppareuda) – to have quick nunchi.
+The phrase ''nunchi itda'' (눈치 있다) refers to someone who's quick-witted, can understand the situation quickly, or has common sense. Another way to say this is ''nunchi ppareuda'' (눈치 빠르다), to have quick ''nunchi''.
-In Korean, the phrase 눈치 없다 (nunchi eoptta) refers to someone that is clueless, someone that doesn't know what's going on, or simply doesn't have any common sense basically it is the exact opposite of nunchi or when someones nunchi is lacking.
 ==See also==
 *[[List of Korea-related topics]]