Word Detail

The Japanese word 寝ます means "to sleep" or "to go to bed". It's a verb indicating the act of resting and becoming unconscious, typically at night. It can also imply the state of being asleep. The word encompasses the physical act of lying down to sleep and the state of being asleep. The 寝ます is the polite form, reflecting a higher degree of politeness appropriate for many social situations.

⚫︎毎日、八時間寝ます。 Translation: I sleep for eight hours every day. ⚫︎もう寝ますから、電話に出られません。 Translation: I can't answer the phone because I'm going to sleep. ⚫︎疲れたので、早く寝ます。 Translation: I'm tired, so I'm going to sleep early.

⚫︎You use 寝ます in polite conversation. ⚫︎It's suitable for various situations, such as talking to colleagues, strangers, or people you want to show respect to. ⚫︎You can use it to describe your own sleeping habits, plan to go to bed, or to inform someone that you are going to sleep. ⚫︎The context usually makes it clear whether you are referring to the act of going to bed or the state of being asleep.

⚫︎The word is typically written in hiragana as ねます. ⚫︎The kanji form is 寝ます. ⚫︎The okurigana (the hiragana after the kanji) is always ます. ⚫︎The stem form 寝 is used in other conjugations. For example, 寝る (neru) - to sleep (dictionary form), 寝た (neta) - slept (past tense). 寝 also can be used to make a compound word, such as 昼寝 (hirune) which means "nap".

⚫︎眠る (nemuru) - This is a more formal and literary word for "to sleep." ⚫︎就寝する (shuushin suru) - "To retire to bed", this is more formal, often used in announcements.

⚫︎起きる (okiru) - to wake up ⚫︎起きる (okiru) and 起き上がります (okiragarimasu)- to get up

今日は早く寝ます。 ・Translation: I will go to bed early today. ・Explanation: This sentence simply states the speaker's intention to go to bed earlier than usual.

もう夜遅いから、寝ます。おやすみ！ ・Translation: It's late at night, so I'm going to sleep. Good night! ・Explanation: This sentence is used to say goodbye before going to bed. It combines the reason for going to sleep (it's late) with a common parting phrase.

The verb 寝る has origins in Old Japanese. The kanji 寝 (ne) on its own means "to lie down" or "to rest". The word's meaning has evolved to encompass the state of sleeping, reflecting its long history and use in the language. The ます form 寝ます comes from the classical Japanese polite verb system.