Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| фи | fi | Dungan | |
| 睡覺 / 睡觉 | shuìjiào | ||
| 眠 | mián | /mi̯ɛn³⁵/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /miːn²¹/ (Cantonese, Guangzhou, Sinological IPA, Standard Cantonese, Hong Kong) |
|
| 睡眠 | shuìmián | /ʂu̯eɪ̯⁵¹ mi̯ɛn³⁵/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /sɵy̯²² miːn²¹/ (Cantonese, Guangzhou, Sinological IPA, Standard Cantonese, Hong Kong) |
|
| 睏覺 / 困觉 | kùnjiào | ||
| 睡瞌睡 | /suei²¹³ kʰo²¹ suei²¹³/ (Mandarin, Chengdu, Sinological IPA) | ||
| 睏 / 困 | khùn | Hokkien |
The various forms of 'sleep' cover the action of resting in a state of reduced consciousness, the physiological state of sleep itself and the specific act of falling asleep. For example, while 睡覺 is the standard colloquial verb for the action, 睡眠 refers to the physiological state (noun) and 入睡 expresses the specific act of falling asleep. If you want to describe a short nap, use 小憩. To describe the medical condition of being unable to sleep, use 失眠, which is commonly paired with the verb 有 (to have).
Which one should you use?
The choice between forms often depends on whether you are describing an action or a biological state. 睡覺 is the standard, colloquial verb for the action of sleeping, whereas 睡眠 is a formal noun used for the physiological state of sleep. In a literary or medical context, you might see 入眠 or 入睡 to describe the process of falling asleep. Additionally, while 睡 can function as a verb on its own, it is frequently paired with other characters like 覺 or 瞌睡 to form complete verb phrases.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For daily conversation, 睡覺 is the standard colloquial choice. To sound more informal among friends or family, you can add the measure word 个 to say 睡个觉. In contrast, 睡眠 is a formal noun and terms like 入眠 are considered literary or formal ways to describe the process of falling asleep, often found in written Chinese or medical texts.
Is it said differently in some regions?
Different dialects and regions use distinct terms. In the Cantonese dialect, spoken in southern China, Hong Kong and overseas, you should use 瞓覺 or 瞓. In Hokkien, the word 睏 / 困 is used. For the Taiwanese version of Mandarin, 睡覺 is commonly used instead of 睡觉. In Dungan, the word is фи.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The single character 睡 can function as a verb meaning 'to sleep', but it is often paired with other characters like 覺 or 瞌睡 to form a complete verb phrase.
How do you pronounce it?
fi
Did you know?
- In the Dungan language, which is a variety of Chinese spoken in Central Asia, the word for sleep is фи.
- The term 失眠 for insomnia literally translates to 'losing sleep', treating sleep as something that can be misplaced or lost.
- The character 眠 for 'sleep' contains the radical for 'eye', visually suggesting the act of closing one's eyes.
Examples in context
- 我睡眠不足。I'm not getting enough sleep.This sentence uses 眠 to describe a lack of sleep.Tatoeba #6583879 by verdastelo9604, translation #6583867 by Eccles17
- 我有失眠症。I can't sleep at night.This sentence uses 眠 to describe the condition of insomnia.Tatoeba #8800719 by crescat, translation #318679 by CK
- 溪流潺潺，催我入眠。The murmur of the brook lulls me to sleep.This sentence uses 眠 to describe the act of being lulled to sleep.Tatoeba #2221100 by sadhen, translation #2230009 by CM
- 请安静，我正在睡觉。(Qǐng ānjìng, wǒ zhèngzài shuì jiào.)Please be quiet, I'm sleeping.
- 昨晚我很晚才入眠。(Zuó wǎn wǒ hěn wǎn cái rù mián.)I slept very late last night.
- 我现在困了，想睡个觉。(Wǒ xiànzài kùn le, xiǎng shuì gè jiào.)I'm tired now, I want to take a nap/sleep.
- 12 more sentences on Tatoeba
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sleep” translations and entries 眠, 睡眠, 睡瞌睡, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 眠, 睏, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
