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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? enter image description here

Psy
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1 Answers1

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K.Y. stands for Kuuki Yomenai or "can't read the atmosphere/situation".

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

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Toshinou Kyouko
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