”Yomu no ga suki” is not complete.

How would you translate the English question "Do you like reading?" into Japanese?

You might think of:

• (Anata wa) yomu no ga suki desu ka?

• (Anata no) shumi wa yomu koto desu ka?

While we can certainly understand the meaning, Japanese people wouldn't usually say it this way. Instead, we would say:

• (Anata wa) hon o yomu no ga suki desu ka?

• (Anata no) shumi wa hon o yomu koto desu ka?

In Japanese, we need the object "hon" (books). Similarly, the following question feels incomplete:

• Saikin yonde imasu ka? (Have you been reading lately?)

To make it a complete and natural sentence, you must add an object:

• Saikin hon o yonde imasu ka? (Have you been reading books lately?)

• Saikin nani o yonde imasu ka? (What have you been reading lately?)

• Saikin nanika yonde imasu ka? (Have you been reading anything lately?)

What else do we read besides books? Online articles, newspapers, magazines, emails, manga... and even "kuuki" (the air).

• Kuuki o yomu: To sense the atmosphere of a situation and judge what you should or should not do in that moment. This is equivalent to the English expression "read the room."

In Japan, people who are "kuuki ga yomenai” (unable to read the air) risk being disliked by those around them. Therefore, when living or working in a group, "kuuki o yomu" is considered an essential skill.