Compliment or insultCompliment
Japanese
Japanese気が利く (ki ga kiku)
Meaning: You're perceptive and considerately thoughtful — you notice what people need before they ask.
Literally: The spirit is sharp
Origin: Japanese 気が利く; one of the highest social compliments in Japanese culture.
More Japanese compliments & insults
- 空気が読めない (kūki ga yomenai) Completely oblivious to the unspoken social mood — the person who kills the atmosphere wi…
- 目に入れても痛くない (Me ni irete mo itakunai) Said of someone you adore completely, often a child or grandchild.
- 石頭 (Ishiatama) A stubborn, inflexible person who won't budge.
Explore another collection: Proverbs
Short sayings of timeless wisdom from more than 50 cultures, each with its meaning and origin.
- 精神一到何事か成らざらん (Seishin ittō nani goto ka narazaran) With complete concentration, anything can be achieved.
- 一を聞いて十を知る (Ichi o kiite jū o shiru) Said of someone so clever they grasp everything from a hint.
- 神は細部に宿る (Kami wa saibu ni yadoru) Excellence comes from attention to the smallest details.
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