もう寝て
mō nete
The phrase "sleep now" in Japanese is もう寝て (mō nete).
もう寝て is used when the speaker wants the listener to stop an activity and go to bed immediately. It functions as a request or command telling someone to go to sleep.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase consists of mō meaning "already" or "now" and the "te-form" of the verb neru (to sleep).
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The default form もう寝て is informal and is typically used by parents to children or between close partners.
How does it change in a sentence?
To make the request polite and suitable for adults or strangers, you can add kudasai to the end of the phrase to get もう寝てください, which means "please sleep now".
How do you pronounce it?
mō nete
When do people say it?
When bidding someone goodnight, you can use the informal おやすみ or the formal おやすみなさい.
Did you know?
- While もう寝て is a command to sleep, Japanese has the word inemuri for 'sleeping while present'. It describes a socially acceptable state of napping in public or during meetings as a sign of exhaustion from hard work.
- Japanese uses a specific 'pillow word' called makura that appears in many idioms about sleep. Interestingly, the word makura is also used in literature to describe a preface or an introductory section that 'cushions' the main story.
- In Japanese, the concept of 'sleeping' is often linked to the word 眠る (nemuru), which describes the physiological state of being asleep, whereas 寝る (neru) can also mean simply lying down or going to bed.
Examples in context
- もう寝て。mō nete.Sleep now.
- 夜遅いから、もう寝て。yoru osoi kara, mō nete.It's late, so sleep now.
- 明日も早いし、もう寝て。ashita mo hayai shi, mō nete.You have an early start tomorrow, so sleep now.
Example conversation
A woman tells her brother to go to bed because it is late.
- 陽葵 Himari蓮、もう寝て。Ren, mō nete.Ren, sleep now.
- 蓮 Renもう少しゲームをしたいんだ。mō sukoshi gēmu o shitai nda.I want to play games a little longer.
- 陽葵 Himariダメだよ。もう寝て。dame da yo. mō nete.No. Sleep now.
- 蓮 Renわかったよ、寝るね。wakatta yo, neru ne.Alright, I'll sleep.
