空気読む

くうきをよむ

kuukioyomu

reading the room, picking up on social cues

jlpt n4

each kanji

this word is read as a whole rather than kanji by kanji, so there is no one reading to give each character. their usual readings are below.

空

empty, sky, vacant

onくう kū

kunあ.き akiあ.く akuあ.ける akeruから kara

jlpt n4 · 8 strokes

気

air, atmosphere, mind

onき kiけ ke

kunき ki

jlpt n5 · 6 strokes

読

read

onとう tōとく tokuどく doku

kunよ.み yomiよ.む yomu

jlpt n5 · 14 strokes

空気読む shows up in the daily jlpt quiz. a new one every day, free to practice.

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words that share a kanji

  • から元気 fake or forced cheerfulness; putting on a brave face
  • 意気投合 hitting it off instantly with someone
  • 空間自体 space itself, the space as it is
  • 空即是色 emptiness is form (Buddhist teaching from the Heart Sutra — the physical world arises from emptiness)
  • 色即是空 form is emptiness (Buddhist teaching — all matter/form is ultimately empty and impermanent)

yoji list, by jlpt level