or "눈치" in hangeul.
This is my favourite word, of the ones that I have anyway, in the Korean language. It is usually translated as "eye measure", the person who taught me this word told me it was "eye connection", but other native speakers sometimes don't like that translation. It's a bit of a complex term. I've heard Koreans have very interesting discussions about what is/isn't nunchi. Some people say that nunchi is the ability to quickly evaluate a person and begin to form a bond with them, some people say nunchi refers exclusively to social interaction in a wider group setting rather than one on one. Two of my Korean friends once had a passionate disagreement about whether nunchi includes the moment of "clicking" with a person and deciding that you have a connection beyond acquaintance. For me, the term is fluid and encompasses all of these things. I have read it described as a form of social situational awareness, which seems like a good summary. I really don't like a lot of the articles that float around on the topic, they seem reductive. I'm aware that I'm not "of" the Korean culture, I have close relationships with Korean people, and nunchi or something very like it was definitely instilled in me as a child. Ask your Korean friends what they think.
Your ability to read "the mood of the room" is nunchi. Your ability to contextualise overt verbal or non verbal communication to see hidden meaning with ontological priority over the obvious, is nunchi. Indeed, the soft skill of nunchi is heavily valued in high context cultures where meaning and relationships are codified and layered differently to low context cultures.
A person is said to have no nunchi, nunchi eoptta (눈치 없다), if they are socially clumsy, ignorant or push themselves at the expense of the group dynamic. The opposite is nunchi itda (눈치 있다), which means "having nunchi". The highest compliment in this sphere is nunchi ppareuda(눈치 빠르다) which means "fast nunchi". This is the ability to quickly and instinctively assess the potential goals and strengths and weaknesses within a group, and contribute to good social outcomes, achieving the ultimate goal of harmony. It can be thought of as a specific form of emotional intelligence. Nunchi deals with understanding the subtle signs given by others, and gently and positively influencing interactions where appropriate. Nunchi also requires reserving oneself, stepping back and reflecting before expressing an opinion or a request if the time or mood is not right.