Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 眠る | nemuru | [ne̞mɯ̟ɾɯ̟] (narrow) | |
| 寝る | neru | [ne̞ɾɯ̟] (narrow) | |
| お休みになる | o-yasumi ni naru | [o̞ja̠sɨmʲi ɲ̟i na̠ɾɯ̟] (narrow) | honorific |
The phrase refers to the act of resting in a state of reduced consciousness. While there are several ways to express this, the choice depends on whether you are describing the biological state of sleep, the daily action of going to bed or showing respect to someone.
Which one should you use?
寝る is the most commonly used verb for 'to sleep' in everyday informal conversations. In contrast, 眠る is more descriptive of the biological state of sleep and is often used in more literary or scientific contexts than 寝る. Additionally, the form 眠れる expresses the potential to sleep or being able to fall asleep.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
To show high respect to a person of higher status, use the honorific form お休みになる to describe their sleeping or resting. For a polite way to say 'good night' to someone, you should use the phrase おやすみなさい rather than the verb forms for sleep.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
nemuru
When do people say it?
When saying good night to someone, you use the polite phrase おやすみなさい rather than the verb forms for sleep.
Did you know?
- In Japanese, 眠る is frequently used as a euphemism for death, similar to the English phrase 'eternal sleep'.
- The verb 寝る can be used to describe 'sleeping' in a figurative sense, such as when a project or a law is put on hold.
- If you want to sound particularly cute or talk to a small child, you might use the word おねむ (o-nemu) to refer to sleepiness.
Examples in context
- 寝る時間よ。It's time to go to sleep.This sentence shows how to use 寝る to indicate time for sleep.Tatoeba #145662 by bunbuku, translation #399124 by catakaoe
- 横向きに寝る。I sleep on my side.This sentence uses 寝る to describe a physical sleeping position.Tatoeba #188522 by KK_kaku_, translation #25666 by CK
- そろそろ寝るね。It's about time to sleep.This sentence uses 寝る to express that it is nearly time to sleep.Tatoeba #3137104 by tommy_san, translation #5261070 by Blurk
- ねむりたいですI want to sleep
- ねむれないI can't sleep
- 66 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Misaki and Ren are talking in the living room late at night.
- 美咲 Misakiもう遅いし、そろそろ眠るね。Mō osoi shi, sorosoro nemuru ne.It's already late, so I'm going to sleep now.
- 蓮 Renそうだね。おやすみ。Sō da ne. Oyasumi.You're right. Good night.
- 美咲 Misaki蓮くんはまだ眠らないの？Ren-kun wa mada nemuranai no?Are you not going to sleep yet, Ren?
- 蓮 Renもう少し本を読んでから眠るよ。Mō sukoshi hon o yonde kara nemuru yo.I'll sleep after I read a book a bit more.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sleep” translations and entries 眠る, 寝る, お休みになる, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
