1.
to read the room, to pick up on the atmosphere
To sense the mood or unspoken feelings of those around you and act appropriately. A key social skill in Japanese culture.
空気読んでよ。
Read the room, will you.
彼は空気を読むのが上手だ。
He's good at reading the room.
会議中に空気を読まずに冗談を言って、場が凍った。
I told a joke without reading the room during the meeting, and everyone went silent.
CULTURAL NOTE:
Reading the air (空気を読む) is considered a fundamental social skill in Japan. Someone who fails to do this is called KY (空気読めない, unable to read the room), which became a popular slang abbreviation.
The particle を is sometimes dropped in casual speech: 空気読んで instead of 空気を読んで.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 空気を読む: to read the room
- 空気が読める: to be able to read the room
- 空気が読めない (KY): unable to read the room
- 場の空気を読む: to read the atmosphere of the situation