Translation guide
The English word 'glancing' is most often used to describe a blow or hit that is not direct, but rather strikes at an angle and deflects off. It can also describe a quick, brief look. This guide covers how to express these ideas naturally in Japanese.
Describing a hit, strike, or shot that is not direct but hits the side and bounces off.
This verb means 'to graze' or 'to brush against'. It is the most natural way to describe a glancing blow, where something just barely touches the surface.
Describing a look that is very short, often sideways or without full attention.
An adverb meaning 'with a glance' or 'briefly'. It implies a quick, often furtive look.
彼は時計をちらりと見た。
He took a glancing look at his watch.
The bullet glanced off his shoulder.
石が窓をかすめて飛んでいった。
A stone glanced off the window and flew away.
Means 'to deflect' or 'to go off course'. Used when a hit changes direction after impact, emphasizing the deflection rather than the grazing contact.
パンチが彼の腕に当たってそれた。
The punch glanced off his arm.
Literally 'to hit shallowly'. A descriptive phrase for a blow that doesn't strike squarely.
ボールがバットに浅く当たった。
The ball glanced off the bat.
A more formal or literary term meaning 'to glance at' or 'to take a quick look'. Used in written language.
彼女は書類に一瞥をくれた。
She gave the documents a glancing look.
Literally 'to look with a sideways glance'. It emphasizes looking without turning one's head, often with a nuance of suspicion or secretiveness.
彼は横目で彼女を見た。
He gave her a glancing look out of the corner of his eye.