skillful; clever; tactful; skillfulness
A somewhat written or evaluative word for being skilled, clever, or tactful in handling something. As a na-adjective, it often describes skill in a particular activity or way of dealing with people.
She is skillful at negotiating.
Her tact shows in the way she refuses without hurting the other person.
skillful person; clever person in a field
Used as a noun for someone especially adept in a particular area. It commonly appears in compounds or labels such as 選挙巧者 and 試合巧者.
He is known as someone highly skilled at elections.
That manager is very good at handling games.
He's a master of tactical maneuvering.
She is tactful and skillful at dealing with people.
巧み is more flexible for describing skillful methods, techniques, or wording, while 巧者 more readily labels a skilled person or their adeptness.
達者 emphasizes fluency or ability, especially with language, speech, or performance, while 巧者 emphasizes cleverness, tact, or tactical competence.
Standard practical spelling; this form is the prioritized written form.
Attested variant spelling, but much less practical for learners than 巧者.
A Sino-Japanese compound. In the standard spelling 巧者, 巧 is associated with skill or cleverness and 者 with a person; this supports the meanings 'skillful' and 'skillful person.'