眠る
nemuru[ne̞mɯ̟ɾɯ̟]
In Japanese, the phrase 'go to bed' can be expressed as 眠る (nemuru). Wiktionary also lists 臥せる (fuseru).
Meaning: to lie down to sleep (verb)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 眠る | nemuru | [ne̞mɯ̟ɾɯ̟] (narrow) |
| 臥せる | fuseru | [ɸɯ̟̊se̞ɾɯ̟] (narrow) |
The phrase is used to describe the act of lying down to sleep.
Which one should you use?
While 眠る focuses on the physiological state of being asleep, the form 寝る is the much more common way to express the daily routine of going to bed or lying down. 眠る is often reserved for more formal, literary or scientific contexts to describe the physiological state of sleep.
How do you pronounce it?
nemuru
Did you know?
- In Japanese, the word 眠る can be used as a euphemism for death, similar to the English phrase 'eternal sleep'.
- The word おねむ (o-nemu) is a more 'cute' or childish way to refer to sleepiness, often used when talking to small children.
- In various Ryukyuan languages like Okinawan or Miyako, the word for sleep takes many different forms, such as 眠じゅん or 眠ゔっ, which are distant relatives of the Japanese 眠る.
Example sentences for Japanese are not verified yet.
Example conversation
Yui and Yota are talking in the living room at night.
- 結衣 Yui陽太、もう眠る時間だよ。Yota, mou nemuru jikan dayo.Yota, it's time to go to bed.
- 陽太 Yotaあと少しだけ本を読みたい。ato sukoshi dake hon o yomitai.I want to read a book for a little longer.
- 結衣 Yui明日早いんだから、早く眠って。ashita hayai ndakara, hayaku nemutte.You have an early start tomorrow, so go to bed.
- 陽太 Yotaわかった。おやすみ、結衣。wakatta. oyasumi, Yui.I got it. Goodnight, Yui.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “go to bed” translations and entries 眠る, 臥せる, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 眠る, CC BY-SA 4.0.
