閃光(せんこう)

せんこう
noun
flash; glint; flash of light
nature
1. flash; flash of light; glint
A sudden, brief burst of bright light, as from lightning, a camera flash or an explosion. Figuratively, something brief and brilliant (閃光(せんこう)のように: like a flash).
閃光(せんこう)が走(はし)った。
A flash of light shot across.
A flash of lightning lit up the night sky.
Simultaneously with the flash of the explosion, a violent shockwave hit.

Compound of 閃(せん) (to flash, to glint) + 光(こう) (light). More dramatic and written than 光(ひかり): it stresses that the light is sudden and intense.

Common collocations

  • 閃光(せんこう)が走(はし)る (a flash streaks across)
  • 閃光弾(せんこうだん) (flashbang, flash grenade)
  • 閃光(せんこう)のように (like a flash; for speed or brevity)

Watch out