ちらりと
ちらりと
adverb
briefly; at a glance; fleetingly
1.
briefly, at a glance, for a moment
Looking at something quickly and briefly, or something appearing momentarily and then disappearing. Describes a quick, fleeting action, especially of the eyes.
時計をちらりと見た。
I glanced briefly at the clock.
彼女はちらりとこちらを見て、すぐに目をそらした。
She glanced over here for a moment and immediately looked away.
窓の外にちらりと白い影が見えたが、すぐに消えてしまった。
I caught a brief glimpse of a white shadow outside the window, but it vanished immediately.
An onomatopoeic/mimetic adverb from the base ちらり, with the particle と. Describes a quick, momentary glance or a fleeting appearance. The reduplication ちらちら indicates repeated or continuous flickering/glancing, while ちらりと emphasizes a single brief instance.
USAGE:
Most commonly paired with 見る (to look) or 見える (to be visible). Can also describe something briefly appearing or being noticed.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- ちらりと見る: to glance at
- ちらりと見える: to catch a glimpse of
- ちらりと目をやる: to dart one's eyes toward
- ちらりと覗く: to peek briefly
SIMILAR WORDS:
- ちらっと: briefly, at a glance — very similar, slightly more casual
- じろじろ: staringly — the opposite: looking at someone persistently and rudely
- ちらちら: flickering, intermittently — repeated or continuous glancing/flickering