夢
yume[jɯ̟me̞]
In Japanese, the English phrase dream is translated as 夢 (yume).
The noun 夢 refers to imaginary events seen while sleeping. When talking about a dream or wish being fulfilled or coming true, the standard expression is 夢が叶う. For more specific contexts involving a daydream, a fantasy or an unrealistic vision, the term 夢想 is used.
Meaning: imaginary events seen while sleeping (noun)
Which one should you use?
There is a distinction between the physiological act of dreaming and the act of longing. To express the act of dreaming while sleeping, you use the construction 夢を見る. In contrast, the construction …を夢見る is used to express dreaming of or longing for a specific goal or the future.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To express the act of dreaming while sleeping, Japanese uses the verb miru (to see) with the noun yume (dream), resulting in the phrase 夢を見る.
How do you pronounce it?
yume
Did you know?
- The phrase 夢を叶える describes making a dream come true, but the verb 叶える originally referred to the matching of two halves of a broken coin or piece of wood.
- In traditional Japanese culture, there was a belief in 夢占い, the art of dream divination, where specific symbols in a 夢 could predict the future.
- The word 夢 is etymologically built from the ancient words for 'sleep' and 'eye'.
Examples in context
- 夢をつかめ！Catch the dream!Tatoeba #80950 by small_snow, translation #13895285 by kylewii
- 夢みたいだ。It's like a dream come true.Tatoeba #80952 by tommy_san, translation #322763 by CK
- 夢は叶った。The dream came true.Tatoeba #80956 by wat, translation #2673558 by Joseph
- 良い夢をSweet dreams
- 246 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Misaki and Hiroto are chatting during a lunch break.
- 美咲 Misaki大翔くん、昨日はよく眠れた？Hiroto-kun, kinou wa yoku nemureta?Hiroto, did you sleep well yesterday?
- 大翔 Hirotoううん、少し怖い夢を見たんだ。Uun, sukoshi kowai yume o mita nda.No, I had a bit of a scary dream.
- 美咲 Misakiそれは大変だったね。Sore wa taihen datta ne.That must have been tough.
- 大翔 Hiroto今は大丈夫だよ、ありがとう。Ima wa daijoubu dayo, arigatou.I'm fine now, thanks.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “dream” translations and entries 夢, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 夢, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
