夢を見るな
yume o miru na
In Japanese, "dream on" is expressed as 夢を見るな (yume o miru na).
The phrase is used to express skepticism.
Meaning: a skepticism expression (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is built from the word 夢 (yume), which means "dream".
Which one should you use?
While 夢を見るな is a blunt way to say "dream on", other forms change the sentiment: 夢を見ろよ can mean "Go ahead and dream" or "Dream on", whereas ゆめごとはさっさと忘れろよ is an informal way to tell someone to "Just quickly forget your daydreams". The colloquial phrase ゆめばっかり見とんじゃねよ literally means "Don't just keep dreaming".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
夢を見るな is considered an informal/rough expression that can sound aggressive or dismissive. For a more colloquial tone, one might use ゆめばっかり見とんじゃねよ.
How do you pronounce it?
yume o miru na
Did you know?
- While 夢を見るな is used for skepticism, Japanese culture often uses the term 夢中 (muchū), meaning 'inside a dream', to describe someone who is intensely focused or obsessed with a hobby.
- In traditional Japanese Buddhism, the world is often compared to a dream 夢 to emphasize that material existence is an illusion.
- The verb used in 夢を見るな is 見る (miru), which means 'to see', rather than a verb meaning 'to experience' or 'to have' a dream.
Examples in context
- 夢を見るな。Yume o miruna.Dream on.
- 宝くじで億万長者になるなんて、夢を見るな。Takarakuji de okuman chosha ni naru nante, yume o miruna.Dream on, thinking you'll become a billionaire with the lottery.
Example conversation
Hiroto and Himari are talking about a difficult video game level.
- 大翔 Hiroto次こそは絶対クリアできるよ！Tsugi koso wa zettai kuria dekiru yo!I can definitely clear it next time!
- 陽葵 Himari無理だよ。夢を見るな。Muri da yo. Yume o miru na.No way. Dream on.
- 大翔 Hirotoひどいな！次は本気でやるから。Hidoi na! Tsugi wa honki de yaru kara.That's mean! I'm going to try for real next time.
- 陽葵 Himari期待して待ってるよ。Kitai shite matteru yo.I'll be waiting expectantly.
