1.
skillful; dexterous; handy; clever with one's hands
Describes someone who is good with their hands or skilled at performing tasks that require manual dexterity or practical ability.
彼は手先が器用だ。
He is good with his hands.
器用に箸を使って豆をつまむ。
To skillfully pick up beans with chopsticks.
母は器用な人で、料理も裁縫もなんでもできる。
My mother is handy — she can do everything from cooking to sewing.
2.
versatile; able to handle things smoothly
Describes someone who can adapt to various situations and handle different tasks competently, sometimes with a nuance of being too slick or superficial.
彼は器用になんでもこなす。
He handles everything capably.
器用に話題を変えた。
He smoothly changed the subject.
器用貧乏で、何をやってもそこそこだが、一つのことを極められない。
He's a jack-of-all-trades — decent at everything but unable to master any one thing.
Primarily describes manual dexterity, but extends to general competence and adaptability. The opposite is 不器用 (clumsy, awkward).
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 手先が器用: good with one's hands
- 器用な人: a handy/skilled person
- 器用にこなす: to handle skillfully
- 器用貧乏: jack-of-all-trades, master of none
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 上手な: good at / skilled — more general term for being good at something
- 巧みな: skillful / masterful — literary; implies artistic or refined skill
- 不器用な: clumsy / awkward — the direct antonym
CULTURAL NOTE:
The compound 器用貧乏 (literally "skilled poverty") describes someone who can do many things well but never excels at one, carrying a slightly negative nuance. It reflects the Japanese cultural value of mastering one craft deeply rather than being a generalist.