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Lesson notes · Oct 2, 2026

Dream in Japanese: 夢ゆめ (yume) for Sleep and for Goals

Dream in Japanese is 夢ゆめ (ゆめ, yume) — one word that covers both the story your brain plays at night and the thing you want to do with your life.

English splits these jobs between "have a dream" and "follow a dream" and uses the same noun. Japanese does the same thing, but the verbs around 夢ゆめ are different from English, and that is where learners slip. If you searched "dream in Japanese kanji", "dream in Japanese hiragana", or "dream in Japanese language", the short answer is: kanji 夢ゆめ, hiragana ゆめ, and the verb you need is 見みる, "to see".

The basics

How do you write and say "dream" in Japanese?

The kanji is 夢ゆめ and the reading is ゆめ. You can write it in hiragana (ゆめ) too, and you will see it that way in children's books, song titles, and anywhere the writer wants a softer look. In romaji it is yume.

夢ゆめ — a dream (kanji, the standard writing) ゆめ — a dream (hiragana, softer, common in titles and for young readers)

The word has two main senses, and context tells you which one you are in:

Sense Meaning Typical verb
Sleep dream Images and stories while you sleep 夢ゆめを見みる (to see a dream)
Life dream A hope or goal for your future 夢ゆめがある / 夢ゆめを叶かなえる

How do you say "I had a dream" — why is it 見みる and not する?

You see a dream: 夢ゆめを見みる. Not 夢ゆめをする, not 夢ゆめを持もつ for sleep. The verb is 見みる (みる, "to see"), the same verb as watching a movie. A dream is something that appears in front of you while you sleep, and Japanese treats you as the viewer.

昨日きのう、変へんな夢ゆめを見みた。 — I had a strange dream last night. (casual, past tense of 見みる) どんな夢ゆめを見みましたか。 — What kind of dream did you have? (polite)

For "I dreamed about X", use 〜の夢ゆめを見みる:

子こどものころの友ともだちの夢ゆめを見みた。 — I dreamed about a friend from my childhood. (casual) 空そらを飛とぶ夢ゆめを見みました。 — I had a dream that I was flying. (polite; a verb in plain form + 夢ゆめ describes what happened in it)

If you want to say you did not dream, or cannot remember it, the pattern stays the same: 夢ゆめを見みなかった, 夢ゆめを覚おぼえていない.

How do you talk about a dream for the future?

For the goal sense, the usual verb is ある ("there is") or 持もつ ("to hold"). The standard school-style sentence is 将来しょうらいの夢ゆめは〜です (shōrai no yume wa ~ desu, "my dream for the future is ~"). It is the staple of every Japanese self-introduction and school essay.

将来しょうらいの夢ゆめは、先生せんせいになることです。 — My dream for the future is to become a teacher. (polite, school-style self-introduction) 大おおきな夢ゆめがある。 — I have a big dream. (casual, plain)

The pattern is 〜こと+です, "my dream is the act of ~ing". You will meet it again in how to introduce yourself in Japanese.

A quick note on neighbors: 夢ゆめ is the heart-level, imaginative word. 目標もくひょう and 目的もくてき are the planned, measurable ones, and 希望きぼう is a hope that something happens. A dream can be huge and vague. A 目標もくひょう usually has a deadline.

Beyond the basics

How do you say "come true" and "make it come true"?

This is a transitive–intransitive pair, and 夢ゆめ uses it constantly:

  • 夢ゆめが叶かなう (ゆめがかなう) — the dream comes true (intransitive: it happens by itself)
  • 夢ゆめを叶かなえる (ゆめをかなえる) — to make the dream come true (transitive: someone does it)

夢ゆめが叶かなった! — My dream came true! (casual, the moment it happens) いつか自分じぶんの店みせを持もって、夢ゆめを叶かなえたい。 — Someday I want to open my own shop and make my dream come true. (you are the agent here, so を)

The particle switches with the verb, exactly as in the pair rules in transitive and intransitive verbs. If you are the one acting, use を叶かなえる. If you are reporting the outcome, use が叶かなう.

Other verbs that go naturally with the life-dream sense: 夢ゆめを追おう (to chase a dream), 夢ゆめを諦あきらめる (to give up a dream), 夢ゆめを語かたる (to talk about your dream).

What does 夢中むちゅう mean — is it the same as 夢ゆめ?

夢中むちゅう (むちゅう) means "absorbed in" or "crazy about" something — the kanji literally say "inside a dream". The usual pattern is 〜に夢中むちゅう:

最近さいきん、このアニメに夢中むちゅうなんだ。 — I'm totally hooked on this anime lately. (casual, んだ adds an explaining tone) 子こどもはゲームに夢中むちゅうで、呼よんでも返事へんじをしない。 — The kid is so absorbed in the game that he doesn't answer when called. (neutral, a very common parent complaint)

The sense is "so deep in it that the outside world disappears", close to being in a dream state. It can be positive (passion) or mildly negative (lost in it).

How do you say "it's like a dream"?

Use 夢ゆめみたい (casual) or 夢ゆめのよう / 夢ゆめのような+noun (more formal). It means "so good it does not feel real".

夢ゆめみたい! — It feels like a dream! (casual, an exclamation of delight) 夢ゆめのような時間じかんでした。 — It was a dream-like time. (polite, after a wonderful trip or event) これは夢ゆめじゃない? — This isn't a dream, is it? (casual, pinching yourself)

The みたい here is the same pattern covered in みたい, らしい and ようだ. Here, 夢ゆめみたい is "it resembles a dream", a comparison, not a guess.

What are 悪夢あくむ, 正夢まさゆめ, and 初夢はつゆめ?

Three compounds worth knowing, each with a clear flavor:

  • 悪夢あくむ (あくむ) — nightmare, bad dream. In everyday speech you will also hear 怖こわい夢ゆめ (scary dream) or just 悪わるい夢ゆめ. 悪夢あくむ is also used figuratively: "a nightmare situation".
  • 正夢まさゆめ (まさゆめ) — a dream that comes true. The "正せい" means correct or real. People say it with a shiver when something they dreamed actually happens.
  • 初夢はつゆめ (はつゆめ) — the first dream of the new year. There is a general New Year custom of treating it as a sign for the year, with certain images considered lucky, so people like to talk about what they saw.

昨夜さくや、怖こわい夢ゆめを見みて、夜中よなかに目めが覚さめた。 — I had a scary dream last night and woke up in the middle of the night. (casual) あの夢ゆめ、正夢まさゆめになったらどうしよう。 — What if that dream comes true? (casual, a bit worried) 今年ことしの初夢はつゆめは、いい夢ゆめだった。 — My first dream of the year was a good one. (casual)

Dream topics often touch sleep itself. If you want the vocabulary for being tired and dozing off, see sleepy in Japanese.

How does 夢ゆめ sound in anime?

Anime loves the declaration. A hero stands up, states a big goal in front of everyone, and the whole scene turns on that sentence. The shape is almost always the same:

俺おれの夢ゆめは、世界一せかいいちの剣士けんしになることだ! — My dream is to become the world's best swordsman! (casual, masculine 俺おれ, made-up example in the classic style) わたしの夢ゆめは、みんなを笑顔えがおにすることです。 — My dream is to make everyone smile. (polite, softer, 〜ことです)

The structure is 〜の夢ゆめは、〜こと(だ/です). Characters also say 夢ゆめを笑わらうな ("don't laugh at my dream") when someone mocks them, and 夢ゆめを諦あきらめない ("I won't give up my dream") at the turning point. These are common phrases, and once you recognize the shape you can hear it in many stories.

Common mistakes

  • 夢ゆめをする. The verb for a sleep dream is 見みる, not する. Say 夢ゆめを見みた.
  • 夢ゆめを持もつ for a sleeping dream. 夢ゆめを持もつ means "hold a dream (goal)". For the night kind, use 見みる. For the goal kind, 夢ゆめがある and 夢ゆめを持もつ both work.
  • Mixing が叶かなう and を叶かなえる. Dreams come true by themselves (が叶かなう). People make them come true (を叶かなえる).
  • Using 夢ゆめ where you mean 目標もくひょう. If your plan is "pass N3 this December", that is a 目標もくひょう. 夢ゆめ is the bigger, dreamier version.
  • Saying 夢中むちゅう for sleeping. 夢中むちゅう does not mean "in the middle of a dream while asleep". It means absorbed in something.
  • Forgetting に. It is 〜に夢中むちゅう, not 〜を夢中むちゅう.

Practice

Build each answer before opening it. Questions 3 and 4 are a pair, and so are questions 5 and 6.

1. Say "I had a strange dream last night."

Show answer

昨日きのう、変へんな夢ゆめを見みた — "have a dream" is 夢ゆめを見みる, with the verb 見みる, not する.

2. Which verb is wrong: 夢ゆめを見みる, 夢ゆめをする, 夢ゆめを叶かなえる?

Show answer

夢ゆめをする — Japanese does not "do" a dream. You see one (見みる) or you make one come true (叶かなえる).

3. Say "My dream came true!" (it happened, nobody is acting).

Show answer

夢ゆめが叶かなった — 叶かなう is intransitive, so the dream is the subject with が.

4. Say "I want to make my dream come true." (you are the one acting).

Show answer

夢ゆめを叶かなえたい — 叶かなえる is transitive, so the dream is the object with を. This is the pair to question 3.

5. Say "My dream for the future is to become a teacher."

Show answer

将来しょうらいの夢ゆめは、先生せんせいになることです — 〜の夢ゆめは、〜こと+です is the standard shape for a life dream.

6. Say "I dreamed that I was flying."

Show answer

空そらを飛とぶ夢ゆめを見みた — a plain-form clause before 夢ゆめ says what the dream was about, and 見みる is back as the verb. Compare with question 5, where the goal sense uses です, not 見みる.

7. What does 〜に夢中むちゅう mean?

Show answer

absorbed in, crazy about ~ — the kanji say "inside a dream", and the particle is に, not を.

8. How do you say "It feels like a dream!" in casual speech?

Show answer

夢ゆめみたい — みたい means "like", so it compares the moment to a dream. The more formal form is 夢ゆめのようです.

9. Which word means "a dream that comes true", and which is the first dream of the year?

Show answer

正夢まさゆめ (まさゆめ) and 初夢はつゆめ (はつゆめ) — 正せい is "correct/real" and 初はつ is "first".

10. You pass an exam and want to say "Is this a dream?" in casual speech.

Show answer

これ、夢ゆめじゃない? — じゃない with rising intonation is a casual "isn't it ~?", the pinch-yourself line.

In a trial lesson, declare your 夢ゆめ in Japanese, and tell the dream you have at night, 夢ゆめを見みる, apart from the one you hope to 叶かなえる.

FAQ

Is 夢ゆめ read ゆめ or む? Alone it is ゆめ. The reading む appears inside compounds such as 夢中むちゅう (むちゅう) and 悪夢あくむ (あくむ).

Can you write dream in hiragana? Yes, ゆめ is fine. It looks softer and is common in titles, songs, and children's books. In ordinary writing, 夢ゆめ is the standard form.

How do you say "in my dreams" or "never in my wildest dreams"? 夢ゆめの中なかで ("inside a dream") is "in a dream", and 夢ゆめにも思おもわなかった means "I never even dreamed of it", a fixed phrase for something you did not expect at all.

Is "dream" in Japanese ever a verb? There is a verb: 夢見ゆめみる (ゆめみる), "to dream of", as in 宇宙飛行士うちゅうひこうしになることを夢見ゆめみている. It is a little literary; in conversation 夢ゆめを持もつ and 夢ゆめを追おう are more common. For sleep dreams, say 夢ゆめを見みる.

What is the difference between 夢ゆめ and 希望きぼう? 夢ゆめ is a dream: bigger, more personal, and often distant. 希望きぼう is a hope or wish, closer to "I hope this happens". They overlap, but 夢ゆめ is the one you put in a speech.

Vocabulary from this article

Tap the block to select all of it, then copy. In Anki: File → Import, note type Basic, separator Tab.

夢	ゆめ — dream
夢を見る	ゆめをみる — to have a dream
将来	しょうらい — future
夢を叶える	ゆめをかなえる — to make a dream come true
夢が叶う	ゆめがかなう — a dream comes true
夢中	むちゅう — absorbed, crazy about
夢みたい	ゆめみたい — like a dream
悪夢	あくむ — nightmare
正夢	まさゆめ — a dream that comes true
初夢	はつゆめ — first dream of the new year
諦める	あきらめる — to give up
追う	おう — to chase

I'm Yuuki, a Japanese teacher based in Tokyo. I've taught on italki as a Top 1% teacher and watched over 1,500 anime, so most of the example sentences on this blog come from lines I've actually heard students ask about, and the 夢ゆめ declaration is one anime fans want to say almost on day one. For practice with feedback, Book a trial lesson · $13, or work through Japanese practice exercises first.

Sources: the author's own lessons and standard reference grammars.

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