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.
遠くの街の灯りが瞬いている。
The lights of the distant town are twinkling.
夜空に無数の星が瞬き、息を呑むほどの美しさだった。
Countless stars twinkled in the night sky — it was breathtakingly beautiful.
3.
instant; moment; blink of an eye
A very brief period of time, used figuratively to describe how quickly something happened.
瞬く間に時間が過ぎた。
Time passed in the twinkling of an eye.
火は瞬く間に広がった。
The fire spread in an instant.
あの事故は瞬く間の出来事で、誰も反応できなかった。
That accident happened in an instant, and no one could react.
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)