寝坊しました
Nebō shimashita
The English phrase "I woke up late" is translated into Japanese as 寝坊しました (Nebō shimashita).
This phrase is specifically used for the mistake of sleeping past a set time or alarm, rather than just waking up at a late hour of the day.
What does it mean word for word?
The noun 寝坊 (nebō) literally means 'oversleeping' or 'sleeping in'.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For casual situations with friends or family, you can use the informal form 寝坊した.
How does it change in a sentence?
In Japanese, the subject "I" is often omitted from this phrase when the context makes it clear the speaker is talking about themselves.
How do you pronounce it?
Nebō shimashita
Did you know?
- Framing a late arrival as a personal fault via 寝坊しました is often considered more polite than blaming an external cause like a broken alarm.
- While 寝坊 refers to the act of oversleeping, adding the suffix 助 creates the word 寝坊助 (nebōsuke), a playful term for a 'sleepyhead'.
- To describe the specific state of being groggy or half-asleep after waking up, Japanese uses the verb 寝ぼける (nebokeru).
Examples in context
- 昨日は朝寝坊しました。Yesterday, I overslept in the morning.
- 最近、よく寝坊をしています。Lately, I've been oversleeping a lot.
- すみません、寝坊しました。Sumimasen, nebou shimashita.I am sorry, I woke up late.
- 今日は寝坊しました。Kyou wa nebou shimashita.I woke up late today.
- また寝坊しました。Mata nebou shimashita.I woke up late again.
Example conversation
Ren and Yui are talking on the phone in the morning.
- 蓮 Ren結衣さん、もう会社に着きましたか？Yui-san, mou kaisha ni tsukimashita ka?Yui, have you arrived at the office yet?
- 結衣 Yuiいいえ、寝坊しました。Iie, nebou shimashita.No, I woke up late.
- 蓮 Ren大丈夫ですか？Daijoubu desu ka?Are you okay?
- 結衣 Yuiはい、急いで向かっています。Hai, isoide mukatte imasu.Yes, I am heading there in a hurry.
