しばたたく

also: しばたく · しばだたく

し

ば

た

く

Meanings

godan verb (-ku), transitive verb

blink repeatedly; flutter one's eyelids

usually written using kana alone

Describes rapid, repeated blinking, often due to emotion, surprise, or irritation. More emphatic than またたく.

彼かの女じょは驚おどろいて目めをしばたたいた。
She blinked her eyes repeatedly in surprise.
煙けむりが目めにしみて、しばたたくのをやめられなかった。
The smoke stung my eyes, and I couldn't stop blinking.

Written forms

しばたたくUsage21%
Usually written in kana. The kanji spelling 瞬く is rare and can be confused with またたく.
瞬くUsage73%
- しばたたく
  Rare kanji spelling; easily misread as またたく. Use kana to avoid confusion.
- しばたく
- しばだたく
しばたくUsage6%
Common colloquial contraction of しばたたく.
屡叩く
rarely-used kanji form
- しばたたく
  Rarely used kanji form.
- しばたく
- しばだたく
しばだたく
Voiced variant of しばたたく, used in some regions or casual speech.

Kanji

瞬wink, blink, twinkle
屡often, frequently
叩strike, beat, kow tow

Similar words

瞬またたく
またたく means a single blink or a twinkling of a star; しばたたく emphasizes repeated, rapid blinking.
瞬まばたき
まばたき is the noun form of またたく, referring to a blink or wink; しばたたく is a verb for repeated blinking.

Etymology

The exact derivation is uncertain. The initial element しば may be related to 屡 (しばしば, 'repeatedly'), and たたく is likely a mimetic or emphatic element related to tapping or striking, but the compound is not clearly documented.