Korean word

깜빡

Pronunciation

Romanizationkkamppak

Meaning

  • adverbaccidentally

Example

약속을 깜빡 잊어버렸어.yak sso geul kkam ppak i jeo beo ryeo sseo

I accidentally forgot about the appointment.

Illustration for 깜빡 (accidentally)

More examples

영화를 보다가 깜빡 잠들었어.yeong hwa reul po da ga kkam ppak cham deu reo sseo

I accidentally fell asleep while watching a movie.

Core concept

A person's attention briefly switches off, causing a forgotten detail to vanish from mind.

Common phrases

  • 깜빡 잊어버리다kkam ppak i jeo beo ri da

    accidentally forget

  • 깜빡 잠들다kkam ppak cham deul da

    accidentally fall asleep

Similar words

까맣게kkamake: Indicates total forgetfulness about something that should have been remembered.

Definition in Korean

깜빡은 잠깐 방심하거나 눈을 깜박일 때처럼 순간적으로 잊어버릴 때 쓰는 부사.kkam ppa geun cham kkan pang sim ha geo na nu neul kkam ba gil ttae cheo reom sun gan jeo geu ro i jeo beo ril ttae sseu neun pu sa

Word origin

The word likely grew from a sound-symbolic expression for a quick blink or flicker and came to describe a short lapse in attention.

Usage tips

  • English accidentally often focuses on the result, while this Korean word highlights the short moment of inattention that caused it.

Other meanings

  • momentarilyadverb
  • in a blinkadverb

Opposites

Related words

  • 깜빡이다kkamppagidablinkverb
  • 깜빡거리다kkamppakkkeoridaflickerverb

Word lists with this word