婉曲
えんきょく · enkyoku · JLPT N1 · na-adj
euphemistic
婉 (gentle) + 曲 (bend) = speech that bends around the point instead of stating it outright
婉 means gentle or graceful and 曲 means bend or curve. Together they describe wording that curves around a harsh or direct point, softening it. It covers euphemisms and hints.
曲 — pictograph of a bent carpenter's tool or curved object
曲 is a pictograph showing a bent or curved shape, originally depicting a carpenter's measuring tool or a curved frame. From this concrete image of bending came the abstract senses of 'crooked,' 'wrong,' and 'tune/melody' (since songs follow winding contours). The reading qū carries the bending senses, while qǔ means 'song.'