quick-wittedness; tact; resourcefulness
The ability to think and act quickly and appropriately in a situation, often with a nuance of cleverness or tact.
He's quick-witted, so he can handle any trouble well.
とっさの機転で、彼女はその場を切り抜けた。
With quick thinking, she got through the situation.
頓知 is similar to 機転 but often implies a playful or riddle-like cleverness, famously associated with the monk Ikkyū.
Standard kanji form; the most common spelling.
Less common variant; 機転 is preferred.
Compound of 機 (opportunity, moment) and 転 (turn, change), suggesting the ability to turn a situation to one's advantage. The variant 気転 uses 気 (spirit, mind) instead, but the meaning is essentially the same.