Nuance Dictionary / Sounds & Sensations
사뿐사뿐 sa-ppun-sa-ppun
Moving with extreme lightness and caution so as to make zero sound, often out of deference or calculated stealth.
What does 사뿐사뿐 mean?
사뿐사뿐 (sa-ppun-sa-ppun) means: Moving with extreme lightness and caution so as to make zero sound, often out of deference or calculated stealth.
Speakers reach for this when describing careful, silent movement intended to avoid disturbing people who are sleeping or to sneak up on someone. It pairs with verbs of motion such as 걷다 (to walk), 거닐다 (to stroll), 다가오다 (to approach), and 내딛다 (to step forward). In a recorded exchange, someone uses it in 해요체 when promising to walk quietly so as not to disturb downstairs neighbors.
Can evoke a sense of deliberate stealth or heightened caution, highlighting the physical effort to keep every footstep silent.
Can evoke a sense of deliberate stealth or heightened caution, highlighting the physical effort to keep every footstep silent.
Other sides of 사뿐사뿐
◆ breezy spring stroll — Speakers use this adverb when describing light, cheerful footsteps or movements outdoors during fair weather, such as watching cosmos flowers sway in a breeze or dandelion seeds float by. It frequently pairs with motion verbs like 걷다, 거닐다, and 날아오다. It appears in contexts depicting a graceful, unburdened stroll or gentle natural elements drifting in the air. Dialogues show speakers using it when talking about falling snow or discussing everyday household movements.
This can evoke a picturesque, lighthearted atmosphere reminiscent of a gentle spring day, lending a graceful and unhurried tone to the description.
This can evoke a picturesque, lighthearted atmosphere reminiscent of a gentle spring day, lending a graceful and unhurried tone to the description.
How it's actually used
- 고양이는 주인 몰래 생선 가게 앞으로 사뿐사뿐 다가왔다.
go-yang-i-neun ju-in mol-lae saeng-seon ga-gae ap-u-ro sa-ppun-sa-ppun da-ga-wat-da.
The cat approached the fish store stealthily behind its owner's back.
💡 A cat moving silently to go unnoticed - 유민이는 가족들이 잠에서 깨지 않도록 집 안을 사뿐사뿐 걸어 다녔다.
yu-min-i-neun ga-jok-deur-i jam-e-seo kkae-ji an-doh-rok jip an-eul sa-ppun-sa-ppun geol-eo dan-yeot-da.
Yumin walked around the house quietly so as not to wake the family members from their sleep.
💡 Walking carefully to avoid waking others - 서무과장이 당황한 얼굴을 조심스러운 동작에 감추어 가며 급히, 그러나 사뿐사뿐 사장실로 걸어 들어왔다.
seo-mu-gwa-jang-i dang-hwang-han eol-gul-eul jo-sim-seu-reo-un dong-jak-e gam-chu-eo ga-myeon-seo geup-hi, geu-reo-na sa-ppun-sa-ppun sa-jang-sil-ro geol-eo deur-eo-wat-da.
Hiding his flustered face with cautious movements, the general affairs manager hurried yet stepped lightly into the company president's office.
💡 Entering a room with careful, quiet steps despite urgency
Related words in Sounds & Sensations
사르르 sa-reu-reu새초롬 sae-cho-rom새콤달콤 sae-kom-dal-kom새록새록 sae-rok-sae-rok생글생글 saeng-geul-saeng-geul