寝てる？
neteru?
In Japanese, "are you sleeping?" is said as 寝てる？ (neteru?)
This phrase is used to ask if someone is currently asleep.
Which one should you use?
While 寝てる？ is a common casual way to ask the question, you can use 寝てるの？ to add the particle の to the end, which serves to soften the tone of the question. The standard plain form of the verb is 寝ている.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The form 寝てる？ is informal and should only be used with friends, family or people younger than you. For a more polite way to ask, use 寝ていますか？ when speaking to a stranger, a superior or someone you are not on intimate terms with.
How does it change in a sentence?
The default form 寝てる？ is a contraction of the grammatically complete form 寝ている？, where the i sound is dropped in casual speech.
How do you pronounce it?
neteru?
Did you know?
- Japanese has a specific word 寝相 that refers to the 'sleeping posture' or the way a person moves and twists while they sleep.
- To describe a 'deep sleep', Japanese uses the term 熟睡, which literally translates to 'ripe sleep'.
- The phrase 寝てる？ is so common in casual digital conversation that it is often used as a way to 'ping' someone to see if they are available to chat, rather than literally checking their sleep status.
Examples in context
- もしかして、寝てる？Moshikashite, neteru?By any chance, are you sleeping?
- まだ寝てる？Mada neteru?Are you still sleeping?
Example conversation
Yui calls Kenta on the phone late at night.
- 結衣 Yui健太、寝てる？Kenta, neteru?Kenta, are you sleeping?
- 健太 Kentaううん、起きてるよ。uun, okiteru yo.No, I'm awake.
- 結衣 Yuiよかった。ちょっと相談があるの。yokatta. chotto soudan ga aru no.Good. I have something to ask you.
- 健太 Kentaいいよ。どうしたの？ii yo. doushita no?Sure. What's up?
