PACCHI-RI ぱっちり
Meanings
Describes the eyes as opened wide or naturally large, bright, well-defined, and striking.
Examples
She is a beautiful girl with big, bright eyes.
目のぱっちりした美しい娘。
I drank too much coffee, and now my eyes are wide open and I can’t sleep.
コーヒーの飲み過ぎで、目がぱっちりして眠れない。
Dogmatic Opinion
Perhaps the small popping sound of something bursting open somehow matches the movement of the eyelids opening.
Expressions such as PACCHI-RI FUTAE—large, clearly defined double eyelids—also reveal a modern Japanese beauty ideal in which double eyelids and eyes that appear larger are often evaluated positively.
So PACCHI-RI is not merely a measurement of how far the eyelids are open. It frequently carries an attractive, lively, clearly defined visual impression.
For Japanese Learners
Wide open, bright-eyed, big bright eyes, and large, well-defined eyes may fit. “目がぱっちりしている” often means the eyes look large, open, and striking rather than simply that the person is awake.
