23875


There's this scene in _Nichijou_ episode one where a Grim Reaper is asking
everyone:

> Do you know what K.Y. means?

Nobody replies him, maybe because they're scared of him. Finally he asks
another reaper dressed in blue, and he replies:

> Someone clueless, like you.

Is this supposed to be a joke? I don't really understand what happened.

[![Do you know what K.Y.
means?](https://i.stack.imgur.com/sWRzXm.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/sWRzX.jpg)
[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/hx7X9m.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/hx7X9.jpg)


CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-08-07T22:09:54.907
23871
2015-08-08T07:19:39.750
10613
question
nichijou
What does K.Y. mean?


K.Y. stands for _Kuuki Yomenai_ or ["can't read the
atmosphere/situation"](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/372/when-
japanese-say-ky-on-the-internet-what-does-it-mean-exactly).

The joke is that the Grim Reaper does not realize that he is a scary sight in
the human world, and that asking questions like that isn't appropriate. The
second Grim Reaper knows what it means and is basically saying that he isn't
reading the atmosphere.

Another translation could be "not taking hints" - like when you start cleaning
up after a party and some of the guests _fail to read the atmosphere_ and get
ready to leave.

Reference: [Japan Talk - Why You Need To Read The Air in
Japan](http://www.japan-talk.com/jt/new/kuuki-yomenai)


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2015-08-07T22:37:12.083
23875
2015-08-08T07:19:39.750
2017-04-13T12:43:49.183
-1
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answer