This article was written for 13 November 2026.
Japanese 器用 does not become one Korean word. Hands are one choice. Getting things done smoothly is another. Force them into a single word and a compliment changes its job.
Hands
For sewing, cooking, and fine work: 손재주가 좋아요. 손재주 is skill in the hands.
손이 야무져요 is hands that are neat and sure. Safe as praise.
그 사람은 손재주가 좋아요. That person is good with their hands.
Knack, and the room
Being good at moving a task along sits near 요령이 좋아요. 요령 can mean a knack, and it can also suggest cutting a corner. It is not always a safe compliment. Watch the room.
눈치가 빨라요 means quick at reading the air. It is not hand skill. If all you mean is “skilled,” do not pick 눈치.
The other side
The softer opposite is 서툴러요. Still clumsy, not yet used to it.
손재주가 없어요 says the hand-skill is absent, and it is a little hard. In front of the person, 서툴러요 is gentler.
저는 요리가 서툴러요. I’m clumsy at cooking.
器用貧乏
There is no set Korean phrase that sits on top of 器用貧乏. Say it in a sentence: able to do many small things, and none of them becomes one large skill. Inventing a single word would be less accurate.
Questions that keep coming up
What is safe praise?
For hands, 손재주가 좋아요. For knack, use 요령 only after you have looked at the person and the room.
Can I say it to a senior?
손재주 is easy to use. 요령 and 눈치 sound like an evaluation. Be careful.
Is 눈치 the same as 器用?
No. It is about the air in the room.