1.
communication skills; interpersonal skills
The ability to communicate effectively with others, including speaking, listening, reading social cues, and building relationships. Highly valued in Japanese society and frequently cited as a key trait in job recruitment.
コミュニケーション能力が高い人は職場で重宝される。
People with strong communication skills are valued in the workplace.
就活ではコミュニケーション能力が最も重視される。
In job hunting, communication skills are considered the most important quality.
コミュニケーション能力を高めるためには、日頃から人と積極的に関わることが大切だ。
To improve your communication skills, it's important to actively interact with people on a daily basis.
A compound of the loanword コミュニケーション (communication) and 能力 (ability). Extremely frequently abbreviated to コミュ力 (komyuryoku) or simply コミュ力 in casual speech and writing.
COMMON ABBREVIATION:
コミュ力 (komyuryoku) — the standard informal abbreviation, widely used in everyday conversation, social media, and business contexts.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- コミュニケーション能力が高い/低い — to have high/low communication skills
- コミュニケーション能力を磨く — to polish one's communication skills
- コミュニケーション能力を高める — to improve communication skills
- コミュニケーション能力を問う — to assess communication ability
RELATED TERMS:
- コミュ障 — communication difficulties (slang, short for コミュニケーション障害; used self-deprecatingly for social awkwardness)
- 対人能力 — interpersonal ability
- 社交性 — sociability
- 話術 — art of conversation; speaking skills
CULTURAL NOTE:
Japanese employers consistently rank コミュニケーション能力 as the most desired quality in new graduates. In the Japanese context, this encompasses not just speaking ability but also the capacity to read the atmosphere (空気を読む), collaborate harmoniously, and express oneself with appropriate sensitivity to social context.