번쩍번쩍

Korean

Etymology

A reduplication of 번쩍 (beonjjeok).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [pʌ̹ɲt͡ɕ͈ʌ̹k̚p͈ʌ̹ɲt͡ɕ͈ʌ̹k̚]
Phonetic hangeul: [번쩍뻔쩍]

Revised Romanization^?	beonjjeokbeonjjeok
Revised Romanization (translit.)^?	beonjjeogbeonjjeog
McCune–Reischauer^?	pŏntchŏkpŏntchŏk
Yale Romanization^?	penccekqpenccek

Ideophone

번쩍번쩍 • (beonjjeokbeonjjeok)

(of a strong light) with repeated blasts, with repeated flashes of light
- 번개가 번쩍번쩍거린다.
  Beon-gaega beonjjeokbeonjjeokgeorinda.
  The lightnings are flashing on and on.
(figurative, for a person) with repeated moments of great and sudden clarity
(figurative, of an action) to repeatedly occur very suddenly; to repeatedly occur very quickly
while repeatedly appearing clearly in one's mind
while repeatedly lifting up a large, heavy thing; (of a large thing) while being repeatedly lifted

Usage notes

번쩍번쩍 (beonjjeokbeonjjeok) is the yin vowel, or dark vowel, form of 반짝반짝 (banjjakbanjjak).

In contemporary Korean, the yin vowels refer to /ʌ/, /e/, /u/, and often /i/. In Korean ideophones and sensory words, forms with these vowels have a connotation of darkness, largeness, murkiness, bluntness, old age, or negativeness.