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点滅 (てんめつ) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Common word› JLPT N1 › Freq. Frequency Top 20,000 Conjugation 点滅する · noun or participle which takes 'suru'
Form Positive Negative Dictionary 点てん 滅めつ する 点てん 滅めつ しない Polite 点てん 滅めつ します 点てん 滅めつ しません Past polite 点てん 滅めつ しました 点てん 滅めつ しませんでした Past 点てん 滅めつ した 点てん 滅めつ しなかった Te-form 点てん 滅めつ して 点てん 滅めつ しないで Desire 点てん 滅めつ したい 点てん 滅めつ したくない Potential 点てん 滅めつ できる 点てん 滅めつ できない Passive 点てん 滅めつ される 点てん 滅めつ されない Causative 点てん 滅めつ させる 点てん 滅めつ させない Causative passive 点てん 滅めつ させられる 点てん 滅めつ させられない Volitional 点てん 滅めつ しよう Polite volitional 点てん 滅めつ しましょう Imperative 点てん 滅めつ しろ 点てん 滅めつ するな Conditional 点てん 滅めつ すれば 点てん 滅めつ しなければ Tara conditional 点てん 滅めつ したら 点てん 滅めつ しなかったら
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The traffic light is flashing red.
I flashed the warning lights to alert the car behind.
Usage patterns 〈 物もの 〉 が 点てん 滅めつ する for something (a light, signal, etc.) to blink or flash
The traffic light is flashing yellow.
〈 物もの 〉 を 点てん 滅めつ させる to make something (a light, indicator, etc.) blink or flash
In an emergency, please make the lamp flash.
〈 数かず 〉 回かい 点てん 滅めつ する to blink a certain number of times
This icon blinks three times before disappearing.
Kanji 滅 destroy, ruin, overthrow Transitive / intransitive 点滅 itself covers both frames: intransitively, a light or signal simply blinks on its own (ライトが点滅する, 'the light is blinking'), and transitively (usually with させる), someone or something causes it to blink (ライトを点滅させる, 'to make the light blink').
Related words 瞬く describes a brief, natural flicker such as stars twinkling or eyes blinking, while 点滅 refers to a more mechanical, repeating on-off cycle.
ちらつく suggests an unsteady, irregular flicker like a faulty light, whereas 点滅 implies a regular, repeating on-off pattern.
点滅 is the general Japanese term for something blinking on and off (like a traffic light), while フリッカー is a technical loanword specifically for the rapid flicker of light in displays or lighting.
瞬き describes the natural, often poetic twinkling of stars or light, while 点滅 refers to the mechanical on-off flashing of a light or signal.
Etymology Compound of 点 (ten, 'point' or 'light') and 滅 (metsu, 'extinguish'), literally 'light on and off'. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the kanji combination directly reflects the meaning.
