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in j-pan and korea, the term “skinship” is used to describe the intimacy, or closeness, between a mother and a child. today, the word is generally used for bonding through physical contact, such as holding hands, hugging, or parents washing their child at a bath. the earliest citation of this word appears in nihon kokugo daijiten in 1971. (from wikipedia)
one of the more confusing waseigo/engrish words.
it is important to have skinship with children
a friendship or relationship that primarily focuses on the exploration of another’s skin.

this word’s origin is from korea. many koreans learn english from a very young age, so a combination of the two languages was inevitable. the b-st-rd child of these two n-ble languages is “konglish.”
korean teen #1: we must have skinship, so that we can be ready for marriage.
draper teacher: are you kidding me? what in the blue h-ll is skinship?
korean teen #2: (after furiously thumbing through a korean-english dictionary) a representation of affection!
a friendship or relationship taken up a notch with contact via the skin, be it kissing, hugging, touching, etc.
guy: hey, we should have some skinship

girl: tsk, like you know how

guy: t_t”
in korea, the term “skinship” is used to describe the act of intimate, non-s-xual touching between very close (usually same-s-x, but can include both genders.) platonic friends. it involves acts such as holding hands/arms, hugging, and kissing on the cheeks.

sometimes it goes even deeper than that and can even involve bathing together, as koreans (and the j-panese) believe that group nudity helps break down the barriers and helps establish a closer relationship.
it’s not unusual to see koreans walking and holding hands with each other, even if they’re not in a relationship. that just means that they have a deep skinship with each other.
konglish (korean-english) term encomp-ssing a variety of intimate touching, e.g. holding hands, eskimo kissing, dry humping, snuggling, etc.
“my girlfriend loves skinship, but sometimes i just want to tell her to take a bath.”

“skinship is important in father-daughter relationships, an arm around her shoulder or a hug now and then can familiarize her with intimacy.”

“my boyfriend tried skinship last night in his car but i wasn’t ready for it.”
a concept originating in j-pan, whereas social interactions and dealings were considered more intimate and relaxed when they took place within a communal “onsen”, or public bath.

this concept is still in some practice today, as when a business agent will meet a potential client for dinner, or drinks, or on a racquetball court.

it has also evolved to define a situation of intimacy derived from the touch of skin, or close proximity thereof, as in a mother and child bonding from birth.

in korea, as well as some other places, it has come to also mean s-xual contact, heavy petting, and related activities.
in proper dealings within the corporate hierarchy, a certain level of skinship can help to make everyone feel equally comfortable.

i think skinship is gross!
disturbingly intimate physical skin-to-skin contact among adolescent boys in j-pan. the word originally developed to describe intimate physical contact between a mother and her baby, however more recently it has also come to describe the phenomenon of male groping, grooming, and cuddling which many young boys partic-p-te in. skinship is usually practiced from late childhood through p-b-rty among boys only.
(a new english teacher in j-pan working in a junior high school) ”man, i went into one of my cl-sses today, and this one boy was sitting on the lap of another one right there and he had his one hand in his half-b-ttoned down shirt feeling up the other boys chest, and with the other hand he was playing with the other boys hair. both of them seemed fine with it, and n-body else seemed to care at all. and i knew both of the kids have girlfriends because i talk to them after cl-ss. it was so weird…”

(a veteran english teacher) ”it’s called ‘skinship.’ i don’t know why, but they all love that sh-t over here.”