ひらめき
ひらめき
noun
flash of inspiration; sudden idea
1.
flash of inspiration; sudden idea; stroke of genius
A sudden, intuitive idea or insight that comes to mind without deliberate thought. Derived from the verb ひらめく (to flash, to strike upon an idea).
いいひらめきがあった。
I had a great idea.
散歩中にひらめきが生まれることが多い。
Ideas often come to me while I'm taking a walk.
あの発明は長年の研究ではなく、一瞬のひらめきから生まれたものだった。
That invention was born not from years of research but from a momentary flash of inspiration.
USAGE:
ひらめき is usually written in hiragana. It emphasizes the spontaneous, intuitive nature of an idea, as opposed to something arrived at through logical reasoning.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- ひらめきが生まれる (an idea is born)
- ひらめきを得る (get an inspiration)
- 一瞬のひらめき (a momentary flash)
- ひらめきがある (have a flash of inspiration)
SIMILAR WORDS:
アイデア is the loanword for "idea" and is more general. 思いつき means "idea" or "thought" but can carry a negative nuance of being half-baked or impulsive. ひらめき always implies something positive — a creative or clever insight.