반짝반짝
[반짝빤짝]banjjakbanjjak
twinkle, sparkle
Sound & shape words
twinkle-twinkle — sparkling, glittering, shiny
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Meaning & nuance
반짝반짝 describes small lights that flicker on and off — stars, jewelry, city lights — and things polished until they shine.
It also works for bright eyes (눈이 반짝반짝) and, as plain 반짝, for an idea that suddenly lights up: 좋은 생각이 반짝 떠올랐어요 (A good idea flashed into my head).
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Examples
밤하늘에 별이 반짝반짝 빛나요.Stars twinkle in the night sky.
창문을 닦았더니 반짝반짝해졌어요.I wiped the windows, and now they sparkle.
아이가 눈을 반짝반짝 빛내며 이야기를 들었어요.The child listened, eyes sparkling.
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Forms & politeness
- 반짝반짝하다
- to be sparkling, shiny
- 반짝이다
- to twinkle, to glitter
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Hangul blocks
반ㅂ + ㅏ + ㄴ짝ㅉ + ㅏ + ㄱ반ㅂ + ㅏ + ㄴ짝ㅉ + ㅏ + ㄱ
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Good to know
Korean sound words change their feel with the vowel: 반짝 is a small, light twinkle, while 번쩍 is a big, strong flash. It is said [반짝빤짝], but the spelling and the romanization keep ㅂ: banjjakbanjjak.
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Related words
Dictionary: 표준국어대사전 · 반짝반짝 ↗
Meanings are written in our own words. The link opens the Standard Korean Language Dictionary entry.