寝坊（ねぼう、nebou）
- oversleeping

The Japanese word 寝坊寝坊 means to oversleep or to sleep in. It describes the state of waking up later than intended, usually because one has slept through their alarm or usual wake-up time. The core concept is missing one's planned wake-up time.

⚫︎昨日、寝坊してしまった。 Translation: I overslept yesterday. ⚫︎試験のために早く起きるつもりだったのに、寝坊した。 Translation: Even though I planned to wake up early for the exam, I overslept. ⚫︎朝寝坊は困るな。 Translation: It's a problem to sleep in in the morning.

You use 寝坊寝坊 when you want to express that you or someone else woke up later than planned. It's suitable for various situations, from missing appointments to simply sleeping in on a day off. You'll often use it in the past tense (寝坊した: slept in) or present/future tense (寝坊する: will sleep in or is sleeping in). The degree to which it is a problem depends on the context of course.

寝坊寝坊 is typically written in hiragana as ねぼう. The kanji form, 寝坊, is common. The okurigana (the suffix hiragana) for 寝 (ne - to sleep) is 寝 and 坊 (bou - boy) . There are no variations in how this word is written or used.

⚫︎朝寝坊 (あさねぼう): Oversleeping in the morning. It's similar to 寝坊寝坊, but specifically refers to the morning. ⚫︎遅刻 (ちこく): Being late. Although not a direct synonym, it is often a consequence of 寝坊寝坊.

⚫︎早起き (はやおき): Early rising. ⚫︎早寝早起き (はやねはやおき): Early to bed, early to rise.

今朝は電車に乗り遅れた。寝坊寝坊したからだ。 ・Translation: I missed the train this morning. It's because I overslept. ・Explanation: This sentence explains that the reason for missing the train was 寝坊寝坊, highlighting the consequence of oversleeping.

あんなに早く寝たのに、また寝坊寝坊しちゃった。 ・Translation: Even though I went to bed so early, I overslept again. ・Explanation: This sentence emphasizes the surprise or disappointment of oversleeping, despite trying to get enough sleep.

The word 寝坊寝坊 is a compound word. 寝 (ne) is from the verb 寝る (neru) which means "to sleep." 坊 (bou) is a suffix that can denote a state or condition. The word literally means something like "sleeping too much."