LESSON NOTES · レッスンノート

N5Lesson notes · Oct 4, 2026

Sleep and wake up in Japanese: 寝ねる, 眠ねむる, 起おきる and 目めが覚さめる

"Sleep" is 寝ねる (neru) and "wake up" is 起おきる (okiru) — and each one actually covers a few English meanings, so the useful part is knowing which Japanese word matches which moment.

English uses "sleep" for going to bed, being unconscious, and lying down for the night. Japanese splits those apart. The same happens with "wake up": getting out of bed, opening your eyes, and waking someone else are three different words. Here is how the set fits together.

The basics

How do you say "sleep" in Japanese?

寝ねる (ねる) is the everyday word: it means to go to bed, to lie down to sleep, and to sleep. It is a ru-verb, so it conjugates easily: 寝ねます, 寝ねない, 寝ねた, 寝ねて.

今日きょうは早はやく寝ねます。 — I'll go to bed early today. (polite, plans for the evening) 昨日きのう、よく寝ねた。 — I slept well yesterday. (casual, said to a friend) もう寝ねる? — Are you going to bed already? (casual, rising intonation)

If you only learn one word from this article, learn 寝ねる. It works in almost every situation.

What is the difference between 寝ねる and 眠ねむる?

眠ねむる (ねむる) means to actually be in the state of sleep. 寝ねる also includes the act of going to bed. You can 寝ねる without 眠ねむる: you lie in bed but cannot fall asleep.

ベッドで寝ねたけど、眠ねむれなかった。 — I lay down in bed, but I couldn't sleep. (casual, the two verbs side by side) 彼かれは静しずかに眠ねむっている。 — He is sleeping quietly. (written or literary, describing the sleeping person)

眠ねむる sounds a little poetic. You will see it in novels, song lyrics, and anime narration for a peaceful or final sleep. In daily speech, people say 寝ねる. If you want the word for being sleepy, see our article on 眠ねむい (nemui) instead of repeating it here.

How do you say "wake up" in Japanese?

起おきる (おきる) is the default: it means to wake up and to get up. Like 寝ねる, it is a ru-verb.

毎朝まいあさ、六ろく時じに起おきます。 — I get up at six every morning. (polite, daily routine) まだ起おきてる? — Are you still awake? (casual, 起おきてる is short for 起おきている)

Note that 起おきる covers both "wake up" and "get out of bed." It also covers staying up: 夜中よなかまで起おきていた means "I stayed awake until midnight."

What is 目めが覚さめる, and how is it different from 起おきる?

目めが覚さめる (めがさめる) means your eyes open and you become awake, usually by yourself and without any effort. It focuses on the moment of waking, not on getting up.

朝あさ、五時ごじに目めが覚さめた。 — I woke up at five in the morning. (casual, it just happened, maybe too early) 音おとで目めが覚さめた。 — I woke up because of a noise. (casual, something woke you)

You can 目めが覚さめる and then stay in bed. You cannot 起おきる and stay in bed. So 目めが覚さめたけど、まだ起おきていない — "I woke up, but I haven't gotten up yet" — makes perfect sense. If the bed is a 布団ふとん on the floor, getting up is followed by 布団ふとんをたたむ, folding it into the 押し入おしいれ closet, and bed in Japanese pairs that with 布団ふとんを敷しく for the evening.

How do you say "wake someone up"?

起おこす (おこす) means to wake someone up. It is the other half of the pair 起おきる / 起おこす. 起おきる is intransitive (it happens by itself); 起おこす is transitive (someone does it to someone else). This is the same pattern we cover in transitive and intransitive verbs.

明日あした、七時しちじに起おこしてください。 — Please wake me up at seven tomorrow. (polite, to a hotel front desk or family) 子こどもを起おこしてくる。 — I'll go wake the kids. (casual, a parent speaking)

The particle changes with the verb: 私わたしが起おきる (I wake up) but 私わたしが弟おとうとを起おこす (I wake my brother up).

Beyond the basics

Why does 寝ねている mean "is asleep"?

寝ねている describes the state of being asleep, while 寝ねた describes the action of going to sleep. This is the aspect pattern: the 〜ている form of a change-of-state verb shows the result that continues.

赤あかちゃんは寝ねている。 — The baby is asleep. (casual, the state right now) 赤あかちゃんは寝ねた。 — The baby has fallen asleep. (casual, the change just happened)

Same with 起おきている: it means "is awake" (and not "is waking up"). If this still feels slippery, the verb categories in Japanese verb groups are a good place to start.

How do you say good night?

おやすみなさい is the polite "good night," and おやすみ is the casual one. It comes from 休やすむ, "to rest," so it is literally "rest well." You say it only when someone is about to sleep or part for the night, never as a greeting in the evening.

おやすみなさい。 — Good night. (polite, to a host, a teacher, or a coworker on a trip) おやすみ! また明日あした。 — Night! See you tomorrow. (casual, friends and family)

In the morning, the matching phrase is おはよう (casual) or おはようございます (polite).

What about oversleeping and naps?

寝坊ねぼう (ねぼう) is oversleeping, and 昼寝ひるね (ひるね) is a daytime nap. Both go with the verb する.

寝坊ねぼうしました。すみません! — I overslept. I'm sorry! (polite, the usual excuse for being late) 日曜日にちようびは昼寝ひるねをする。 — I take a nap on Sundays. (casual, habit)

You will hear 寝坊ねぼう in a lot of school comedies, because the late-running heroine with toast in her mouth is a standard scene. Related: 夜更よふかし means staying up late, and 二度にど寝ね means going back to sleep after waking.

How do parents and anime characters say it?

Commands are blunt: 早はやく寝ねなさい and 起おきなさい from a parent, 起おきて and 起おきろ between friends. The tone depends on who is speaking.

早はやく寝ねなさい。 — Go to bed early. (a parent's command to a child, firm but caring) 起おきて! 遅刻ちこくするよ! — Wake up! You'll be late! (casual, a friend or sibling shaking you awake) 起おきろ! — Get up! (rough, anime or a drill-sergeant energy; do not say it to people you respect)

起おきろ is the rude, forceful imperative. Between close friends in a joking mood it works, but with anyone else it sounds like you are shouting orders.

Which verb goes with which situation?

English Japanese Feel
go to bed / sleep 寝ねる Everyday, safe default
be asleep (state) 寝ねている Result state
fall asleep, sleep (poetic) 眠ねむる Literary, a little gentle
wake up, get up 起おきる Everyday
eyes open on their own 目めが覚さめる Focus on the moment
wake someone up 起おこす Transitive, needs を
oversleep 寝坊ねぼうする Excuse for being late
nap 昼寝ひるねする Daytime

Common mistakes

  • Using 眠ねむる for "go to bed." 今日きょうは早はやく眠ねむります is understandable, but it sounds like a novel. Use 寝ねる.
  • Saying 起おきる when you mean 起おこす. 母ははを起おきた is wrong. It must be 母ははを起おこした, "I woke Mom up."
  • Saying 寝ねた when you mean "is asleep." 彼かれは寝ねた means "he fell asleep." If he is sleeping now, say 彼かれは寝ねている.
  • Using おやすみなさい as an evening greeting. It is for saying goodbye before sleep. A greeting at dinnertime would be こんばんは.
  • Using 起おきろ to someone you respect. Use 起おきてください or, for a polite wake-up request, 起おこしてください.

Practice

Build each answer before opening it. Questions 5 and 6 are a pair: the same wake-up idea with and without an object.

1. Say "I go to bed at eleven every night." (polite)

Show answer

毎晩まいばん、十一じゅういち時じに寝ねます — 寝ねる is the everyday word for going to bed.

2. Which is more natural in daily speech: 今日きょうは早はやく寝ねる or 今日きょうは早はやく眠ねむる?

Show answer

今日きょうは早はやく寝ねる — 眠ねむる sounds literary, so 寝ねる is the default for going to bed.

3. You lay in bed all night but never fell asleep. Which verb describes that: 寝ねる or 眠ねむる? Say "I couldn't sleep."

Show answer

眠ねむれなかった — 眠ねむる focuses on the sleep itself, so the failure is expressed with 眠ねむれなかった, not 寝ねれなかった (which is also common, but less careful).

4. You woke up at 4 a.m. on your own, without trying. Which phrase fits best?

Show answer

四時よじに目めが覚さめた — 目めが覚さめる describes eyes opening naturally. It does not mean you got up.

5. Say "I wake up at six."

Show answer

六ろく時じに起おきます — 起おきる is intransitive: it happens to you, so no を.

6. Say "I wake my brother up at six."

Show answer

六ろく時じに弟おとうとを起おこします — 起おこす is the transitive partner and takes を.

7. What is the difference between 彼かれは寝ねた and 彼かれは寝ねている?

Show answer

寝ねた = he fell asleep; 寝ねている = he is asleep. The 〜ている form shows the state that continues after the change.

8. What do you say to a friend as you hang up the phone for the night?

Show answer

おやすみ — the casual good night. To a teacher or host, add なさい: おやすみなさい.

9. You were late because your alarm failed. What is the one-word excuse?

Show answer

寝坊ねぼうしました — 寝坊ねぼう means oversleeping, and polite speech uses 寝坊ねぼうしました.

10. A parent says 早はやく寝ねなさい. Is it a request, an order, or a suggestion?

Show answer

A firm order — 〜なさい is a command form used by parents and teachers toward children.

Use a trial lesson to describe your night, from 寝ねる and 眠ねむる to when you 目めが覚さめる and finally 起おきる.

FAQ

What is the difference between 寝ねる and 眠ねむる? 寝ねる covers going to bed, lying down, and sleeping, so it works almost everywhere. 眠ねむる focuses on the state of being asleep and has a literary feel, which is why it appears in novels and lyrics.

Is 起おきる the same as 目めが覚さめる? No. 目めが覚さめる is the moment your eyes open and you become conscious. 起おきる is getting up, or being awake. You can 目めが覚さめる and still lie in bed.

How do I say "wake me up at seven"? 七時しちじに起おこしてください. It uses 起おこす (to wake someone), not 起おきる.

Can I say おやすみなさい in the morning? No. おやすみなさい is a farewell for the night. For a morning greeting, say おはようございます.

What does 寝ねている mean? It means "is asleep" right now. For "went to sleep," use 寝ねた. The two describe different parts of the same event.

Is 起おきろ rude? Yes, it is a rough command. It is common in anime and between close friends, but not for people you respect. 起おきて is the casual, softer version.

Vocabulary from this article

Tap the block to select all of it, then copy. In Anki: File → Import, note type Basic, separator Tab — the first column becomes the front, the second the back.

寝る	ねる — to go to bed, to sleep
眠る	ねむる — to sleep (literary)
起きる	おきる — to wake up, to get up
目が覚める	めがさめる — to wake up naturally
起こす	おこす — to wake someone up
おやすみなさい	おやすみなさい — good night (polite)
寝坊	ねぼう — oversleeping
昼寝	ひるね — nap
夜更かし	よふかし — staying up late
二度寝	にどね — going back to sleep
早く	はやく — early, quickly
毎朝	まいあさ — every morning
赤ちゃん	あかちゃん — baby

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 — including this one, which comes up in nearly every beginner's first few lessons. 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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