Reading the air (kūki wo yomu) is the Japanese expectation of sensing a situation’s unspoken mood and others’ unstated wishes, and adjusting one’s behavior accordingly. It relies on shared context and is valued as social competence, yet also criticized as pressure toward conformity.
- Entry typeKey concept
- Category of its source unitTheories & Explanatory Models
- DomainAcross Cultures
What these mean
Editorial orientation · Entry type
Key concept
Key concepts are the working vocabulary of the field: the terms that the models and tools rely on and that a decision about communication has to use precisely. Each entry defines the term and sends you to the brief or the self-guided audit where it is put to work.
Editorial orientation · Category
Theories & Explanatory Models
Explains how or why a communication process works by relating mechanisms, conditions or variables. Its value is an account that can guide inquiry into what produces an outcome, rather than a name for the outcome alone.