夢（ゆめ、yume）
- dream

The Japanese word 夢夢, pronounced ゆめ, primarily means "dream". It refers to: ⚫︎ A series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a person's mind during sleep. ⚫︎ An aspiration or goal that one hopes to achieve in the future. ⚫︎ A cherished desire or ambition. It can also imply something that is unreal or idealistic.

⚫︎ 昨日の夜、面白い夢を見た。 Translation: I had an interesting dream last night. ⚫︎ 彼女の夢は医者になることだ。 Translation: Her dream is to become a doctor. ⚫︎ それはまるで夢のような出来事だった。 Translation: It was an event that was like a dream.

This word is used in various contexts. ⚫︎ To talk about the experiences one has while sleeping. ⚫︎ To discuss personal aspirations, goals, and ambitions. ⚫︎ To describe something that seems too good to be true or idealistic. It's a common word, suitable for both formal and informal conversations. When discussing aspirations, 夢を追う (yume o ou), meaning "to pursue a dream," is frequently used.

⚫︎ Typically, 夢 is written using the kanji 夢. ⚫︎ The hiragana reading is ゆめ. ⚫︎ There are no common variations in okurigana.

⚫︎ 願望 (ganbou): Desire, wish ⚫︎ 希望 (kibou): Hope, aspiration ⚫︎ 理想 (risou): Ideal

⚫︎ 現実 (genjitsu): Reality ⚫︎ 事実 (jijitsu): Fact

私には、世界中を旅する夢があります。 ・Translation: I have a dream of traveling around the world. ・Explanation: This sentence expresses a personal aspiration, the dream to travel the world.

夢の中で、空を飛んでいた。 ・Translation: In my dream, I was flying in the sky. ・Explanation: This sentence describes an experience during sleep.

The kanji 夢 is a combination of two parts: ⚫︎ 艹 (kusagashira), which represents "grass" or "plants." ⚫︎ 㚒 (kyou), which represents "to close" or "to contain." The etymology suggests a connection to the concept of something enclosed, or hidden, possibly reflecting the hidden nature of what occurs during a dream.