1.
mediation; intercession; putting in a good word
The act of using one's connections or influence to help arrange something for someone else. Often implies pulling strings or making introductions on someone's behalf.
知人の口利きで就職できた。
I was able to get a job through a friend's connections.
上司に口利きを頼んだ。
I asked my boss to put in a good word for me.
政治家の口利きで公共事業の契約が決まったと報道された。
It was reported that the public works contract was decided through a politician's intervention.
2.
a good speaker; someone articulate
A person who is skilled at speaking, negotiation, or persuasion.
彼女は口利きだから、交渉を任せよう。
She's a good talker, so let's leave the negotiations to her.
あの人は口利きで、誰とでもうまく話せる。
He's articulate and can talk smoothly with anyone.
口利きの営業マンは成績がいい。
Salespeople who are good speakers tend to have good results.
Compound of 口 ('mouth') and 利く ('to be effective'). The two senses are quite different: sense 1 is about using social influence to help someone, while sense 2 describes speaking ability.
Sense 1 is particularly important to understand in Japanese society, where personal connections (人脈) and introductions play a major role in business, employment, and daily life. The word can be neutral (a helpful introduction) or negative (corrupt political influence), depending on context.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 口利きを頼む: to ask someone to intervene
- 口利きで就職する: to get a job through connections
- 政治家の口利き: a politician's intervention
- 口利き役: mediator, go-between
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 仲介: mediation — more formal and business-oriented; lacks the personal-connection nuance
- 紹介: introduction — neutral; simply connecting people without implying influence
- 斡旋: arrangement, good offices — formal; often used in labor and diplomatic contexts