夢
yume[jɯ̟me̞]
The English word "dream" is translated to Japanese as 夢 (yume).
The noun 夢 (yume) refers to both the imaginary events seen while sleeping and figurative dreams, such as personal ambitions or aspirations. Additionally, combining 夢 with the word for "middle" or "inside" creates 夢中 (muchū), which describes being completely absorbed in or crazy about something.
Meaning: imaginary events seen while sleeping (noun)
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The particle を (wo) can be used to mark the dream as the object of the verb, as seen in 夢を見る.
How do you pronounce it?
yume
Did you know?
- In Japanese culture, the phrase 夢を叶える (yume o kanaeru) is used for achieving a dream. The verb 叶える originally referred to a prayer being granted by a deity.
- The word 夢 (yume) originated from a compound of 寝 (i), an obsolete word for 'sleep', and 目 (me), meaning 'eye'. Literally, a dream was envisioned as a 'sleeping eye'.
- There is a specific term 白昼夢 (hakuchūmu) for a daydream. It literally translates to 'white daytime dream', using the color white to signify the brightness of the sun.
Examples in context
- 夢をつかめ！Catch the dream!This is useful for practicing an encouraging imperative using 夢.Tatoeba #80950 by small_snow, translation #13895285 by kylewii
- 夢みたいだ。It's like a dream come true.This shows how to use 夢 to describe a dream-like state.Tatoeba #80952 by tommy_san, translation #322763 by CK
- 夢は叶った。The dream came true.This demonstrates how to describe a dream that has been realized using 夢.Tatoeba #80956 by wat, translation #2673558 by Joseph
- 友達と一緒に夢を追いかけることができるのは幸せなことです。It is a happy thing to be able to pursue dreams together with friends.
- 246 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about their sleep at a cafe.
- 蓮 Ren昨日の夜、変な夢を見たんだ。Kinou no yoru, hen na yume o mitan da.I had a strange dream last night.
- 陽葵 Himariどんな夢だったの？Donna yume datta no?What kind of dream was it?
- 蓮 Ren空を飛んでいる夢だったよ。Sora o tonde iru yume datta yo.It was a dream about flying in the sky.
- 陽葵 Himariそれは楽しそうな夢だね。Sore wa tanoshisou na yume da ne.That sounds like a fun dream.
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.
