1.
blink; blinking of the eyes
The act of briefly closing and opening the eyes.
瞬きもせずに画面を見ていた。
I was watching the screen without even blinking.
緊張すると瞬きの回数が増える。
When you're nervous, the frequency of blinking increases.
コンタクトレンズをしていると瞬きの回数を意識するようになる。
When wearing contact lenses, you become more aware of how often you blink.
2.
twinkle; twinkling; flicker
The flickering or sparkling of stars, lights, or other luminous objects.
星の瞬きが美しい。
The twinkling of the stars is beautiful.
遠くの灯りの瞬きが幻想的で美しかった。
The twinkling of distant lights was fantastical and beautiful.
夜空の星の瞬きを眺めながら、静かに過ごした。
I spent time quietly gazing at the twinkling of the stars in the night sky.
3.
instant; moment; blink of an eye
A very brief period of time, used figuratively to describe how quickly something happened.
瞬きの間に時間が過ぎてしまった。
Time passed in the blink of an eye.
火の広がりは瞬きの間の出来事で、誰も逃げられなかった。
The fire spread in an instant, and no one could escape.
その決断は瞬きの間の判断だったが、後で後悔することになった。
That decision was made in the blink of an eye, but I came to regret it later.
From the verb 瞬く (to blink; to twinkle). The three senses are all connected through the idea of something brief and flickering. The expression 瞬く間に (in the twinkling of an eye) is literary and emphatic.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 瞬きもしない: not even blink (from concentration or shock)
- 星の瞬き: the twinkling of stars
- 瞬く間に: in the blink of an eye; in an instant
SIMILAR WORDS:
- まばたき: blink — the more common everyday word for blinking the eyes; same kanji 瞬き
- 一瞬: an instant — same kanji 瞬; the most common word for "a moment"
- きらめき: sparkle; glitter — emphasizes brilliance and beauty more than flickering
Related Words
Related:
瞬き (variant reading)