Ways to say it
| Armenian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| քնել | kʻnel | /kʰəˈnel/ (Eastern Armenian) /kəˈnel/ (Western Armenian) |
| ննջել | nnǰel | /nənˈd͡ʒel/ (Eastern Armenian) /nənˈt͡ʃel/ (Western Armenian) |
| նիրհել | nirhel | /niɾˈhel/ (Eastern Armenian) /niɾˈhel/ (Western Armenian) |
The primary way to express the action of resting in a state of reduced consciousness is with the verb քնել. If you wish to refer to sleep as a noun, use the related word քուն.
Which one should you use?
While քնել is the standard verb, the forms ննջել and նիրհել are also available to express the concept of sleeping. Additionally, the noun քուն refers to the state of sleep itself, whereas քնել is the action.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To express a purpose, such as 'to go to sleep', the verbal adverbial form քնելու is used. To describe the state of being in a state of reduced consciousness, use the participle քնած (asleep).
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is kʻnel. The sounds are similar to the English words [c]an for the first part, [a]gain for the vowel, [n]est for the 'n' and [l]ace for the 'l'.
Did you know?
- The word քնած meaning 'asleep' can also be used to describe an inactive volcano or a dormant city.
- While քնել is the most common way to say 'to sleep', the verb ննջել is often used when speaking to or about children, similar to saying 'to go to bed' or 'to sleep' in a more gentle way.
- The word նիրհել is considered a 'learned borrowing' from Old Armenian, meaning it was intentionally re-introduced into the language's formal vocabulary rather than evolving naturally through folk speech.
Examples in context
- Պետկ է գնամ քնելու։I have to go to sleep.The first sentence shows the use of the verbal adverbial form քնելու to express purpose.Tatoeba #12255188 by JameezTranslates, translation #1277 by vinhan
- Որտե՞ղ եմ ես քնելու։Where will I sleep?Tatoeba #13386081 by Proxima5, translation #6781719 by CK
- Կարող եք քնել այստեղ։You may sleep here.Tatoeba #13477565 by Proxima5, translation #3823960 by CK
- 41 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Tigran and Ani are talking late at night.
- Տիգրան TigranԱնի, դու դեռ չես ուզում քնել։Ani, du der ches uzum knel.Ani, you don't want to sleep yet?
- Անի AniՈչ, ես դեռ չեմ կարող քնել։voch, yes der chem karogh knel.No, I cannot sleep yet.
- Տիգրան TigranԲայց արդեն շատ ուշ է։Bayts arden shat ush e.But it is already very late.
- Անի AniՀիմա կփորձեմ քնել։Hima kphordzem knel.I will try to sleep now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sleep” translations and entries քնել, ննջել, նիրհել, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries նիրհել, ննջել, քնել, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
