noun
Refers to the ability to respond cleverly and appropriately in conversation or situations, often with a sense of resourcefulness and social grace.
彼の機知に富んだ返答に、みんなが笑った。
Everyone laughed at his witty reply.
交渉では機知がものを言う。
In negotiations, tact and quick thinking count for a lot.
Compound of 機 (opportunity, moment) and 知 (knowledge, wisdom), literally 'timely wisdom'. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the spelling is conventionally associated with the meaning of ready wit.