ちらっと

also: ちらと

ち

ら

っ

と

Common wordJLPTN2Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

adverb

at a glance; briefly; by accident

onomatopoeic or mimetic word

Mimetic adverb describing a quick, fleeting look or a momentary, often accidental, glimpse. Often used with verbs like 見る or 目に入る.

新しん聞ぶんにちらっと目めを通とおしただけだ。
I just glanced briefly at the newspaper.
彼かれの顔かおがちらっと見みえた。
I caught a fleeting glimpse of his face.

See all 29 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈物もの〉がちらっと目めに入はいるto catch a brief glimpse of something
机つくえの上うえの手て紙がみがちらっと目めに入はいった。
I caught a brief glimpse of the letter on the desk.
ちらっと〈人ひと〉の方ほうを見みるto glance briefly in someone's direction
彼かの女じょはちらっと私わたしの方ほうを見みた。
She glanced briefly in my direction.
〈事こと〉をちらっと聞きくto hear something in passing, catch a snippet of information
その噂うわさをちらっと聞きいたことがある。
I've heard that rumor mentioned in passing.

Expressions

ちらっと見みるglance at; glimpse

Related words

チラリN1
ちらり and ちらっと both describe a brief, fleeting glance, but ちらり can sound slightly more literary or poetic while ちらっと is the everyday spoken form.
ちらちらN1
ちらちら describes something appearing or flickering repeatedly or intermittently, whereas ちらっと describes a single quick glance or glimpse.

Opposites

じっとN3
じっと describes staring fixedly or staying still for a long time, the opposite of the brief, momentary look described by ちらっと.

Written forms

チラッと
Katakana variant used for emphasis or stylistic effect.
チラっと
Mixed-kana variant; less common but encountered.
ちらと
Variant without the geminate consonant; slightly softer or more literary feel.
チラと
Katakana variant of ちらと.

Etymology

Onomatopoeic/mimetic word; the sound-symbolic root ちら- suggests a brief, scattered, or flickering action, with the geminate っ adding a sense of suddenness or brevity.