Vocabulary
정적
stillness, silence
Meaning
Noun 정적 (靜寂): deep silence, stillness.
Why this form?
침묵 — silence in speech: someone refrains from speaking.
고요 — quiet calm: a peaceful stillness of a place or moment, sometimes pleasant.
Forms not to confuse
- 침묵
그는 긴 침묵 끝에 대답했어요. — He answered after a long silence.
- 고요
새벽의 고요가 좋아요. — I like the quiet of dawn.
Hanja
靜寂 — 靜 « quiet, still » + 寂 « silent, desolate »; the characters suggest the core meaning without accounting for every use.
Examples
가차 없는 정적이 섬뜩한 분위기와 함께 다시 찾아온다. — An unrelenting silence returns with an eerie atmosphere.
방 안에 정적이 흘렀어요. — Silence fell over the room.