眠る
nemuru[ne̞mɯ̟ɾɯ̟]
The English verb 'sleep' is translated into Japanese as 眠る (nemuru). Wiktionary also lists 寝る (neru) and お休みになる (o-yasumi ni naru).
Meaning: to rest in state of reduced consciousness (verb)
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 |
Which one should you use?
While 眠る refers to the state of sleeping, 寝る is the most common way to express the act of going to bed or lying down in daily conversation. The noun 睡眠 is the most formal and standard term for the concept of sleep, whereas 眠り describes a state of reduced consciousness. For a brief or temporary instance of sleeping, you can use 仮眠.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
In informal daily conversation, 寝る is the standard choice. For a colloquial way to express sleeping unintentionally or suddenly, you can use the contracted form 寝ちゃう. To show respect to a person of higher status, use the honorific お休みになる. In formal contexts, the term 睡眠 is used to refer to sleep as a standard noun.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
nemuru
Did you know?
- The root of 寝る is related to various Ryukyuan languages, including Okinawan 眠じゅん and Miyako 眠ゔっ.
- If you want to sound cute or speak to a child, you can use おねむ to refer to sleepiness, a term much softer than the standard nouns.
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 it is time for bed.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 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 say it is almost time to go to sleep.Tatoeba #3137104 by tommy_san, translation #5261070 by Blurk
- 昨日は質の良い睡眠をとりましたI had a good night's sleep yesterday.
- お体を休めてくださいPlease get some rest.
- 今日は早く寝ようLet's sleep early today.
- 映画を見ていたら寝ちゃったI fell asleep while watching a movie.
- 66 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Misaki and Ren are talking before going to bed.
- 美咲 Misaki今日はとても疲れたから、すぐに眠ると思う。Kyō wa totemo tsukareta kara, sugu ni nemuru to omou.I'm so tired today, I think I'll fall asleep immediately.
- 蓮 Renそうだね。ゆっくり眠ってね。Sō da ne. Yukkuri nemutte ne.You're right. Sleep well.
- 美咲 Misaki蓮くんはもう眠い？Ren-kun wa mō nemui?Are you sleepy already, Ren?
- 蓮 Renうん、僕もそろそろ眠るよ。Un, boku mo sorosoro nemuru yo.Yeah, I'm going to sleep soon too.
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.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 寝る, 眠る, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
