目が覚める
me ga sameru
The Japanese phrase for "I wake up" is 目が覚める (me ga sameru).
目が覚める is used to describe the specific moment of stopping sleeping and becoming conscious. If you wish to express that you woke up unintentionally or unexpectedly, you can use the informal form 起きちゃう.
Which one should you use?
目が覚める refers specifically to the moment of regaining consciousness. In contrast, 起きる refers to the physical act of getting up or rising from bed.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express the past tense, such as "woke up", change the verb to the past form 目が覚めた. For a polite way to say "wake up", use the form 目が覚めます.
How do you pronounce it?
me ga sameru
Did you know?
- Japanese has a specific word 二度寝 ('nido-ne') for the act of falling back asleep after having already woken up once.
- The word 目 (eye) is the grammatical subject of the action, rather than the person waking up.
- The verb 覚める in 目が覚める is also used in the word for 'to sober up', as in recovering from intoxication.
Examples in context
- 私は朝早く目が覚める。I wake up early.This sentence is useful for practicing the phrase 目が覚める in the context of waking up early.Tatoeba #155040 by bunbuku, translation #259499 by CK
- ６時に目が覚めるけど、７時になるまでは起きないよ。I wake up at six, but I don't get out of bed until seven.This sentence is useful for showing the distinction between waking up with 目が覚める and the act of staying in bed.Tatoeba #8864593 by small_snow, translation #4311190 by CK
- 朝起きる時、お身体の状態はいかがでしょうか。How do you feel when you wake up in the morning?
- 毎朝、目が覚めるんだ。I wake up every morning.
- 朝、起きちゃうよ。I end up waking up in the morning.
- 毎朝、目を覚ますんだけど。I wake up every morning, though.
- 毎日、朝5時に目が覚めます。I wake up every day at 5 a.m.
- 夏は早起きして海の散歩を楽しんでいます。In summer, I enjoy waking up early and taking a walk by the sea.
- 夜中にふと目が覚める。Yonaka ni futo me ga sameru.I suddenly wake up in the middle of the night.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hiyori and Kenta are talking about their sleep habits.
- 陽葵 Himari健太はいつも何時に目が覚める？Kenta wa itsumo nan-ji ni me ga sameru?Kenta, what time do you usually wake up?
- 健太 Kentaだいたい７時ごろに目が覚めるよ。daitai shichi-ji goro ni me ga sameru yoI usually wake up around 7 o'clock.
- 陽葵 Himariいいなあ。私はもっと早く目が覚めるの。ii naa. watashi wa motto hayaku me ga sameru noI'm jealous. I wake up much earlier.
- 健太 Kentaそれは大変だね。sore wa taihen da neThat sounds tough.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
