寝る(=neru) VS 眠る(=nemuru) + Sleep related expressions
「ああ彼のことを考えると眠れないわ。」
=Ah..kare no koto wo kangaeru to nemurenai wa.
= Ah…I can’t sleep if I think of him.
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This lesson is for Jetta who left the following request in a comment section before. 
Dear Maggie!
I also have a question: Are there any differences between 眠る and 寝る. Or are these words totally synonymous?
Many thanks in advance!
Actually I’ve seen this question on Twitter a couple of times. So let’s take this opportunity to learn other sleep related words.
*****************
寝る(=neru) VS 眠る(=nemuru)
When you look them up in the dictionary, you may find they both mean “to sleep”.
Yes, sometimes they can be interchangeable but while 寝る(=neru) often means “to go to bed” ,“to intend to sleep consciously”, 眠る(= nemuru) means simply “to fall a sleep or “to fall asleep because you can’t help it or control it”
************************************************
Here are more explanations and details:
寝る(= neru)
■The movement of your body and mind temporarily slow down
■When you intend to sleep consciously
→Action of going to bed
→Action of going to sleep
→To lay down and sleep
■To be in a subconscious condition with your eyes closed.
The counterpart verb is:
起きる= okiru = to get up
眠る (= nemuru)
■The movement of your body and mind temporarily slow down
■ to fall asleep
■ to imply deep sleep
■ It refers to the condition of your body while it is sleeping – you don’t necessary need to lay down to fall asleep. (Ex. sitting down, standing up, etc.)
The counterpart verb is:
目を覚ます= me wo samasu = to be awake
************************************************
★In some sentences, you will see both 寝る（=neru) and 眠る(=nemuru) :
You see the definition, the movement of you body and mind gets decreased tentatively for both 寝る(=neru) & 眠る(=nemuru)
Ex. 「ああ、よく寝た。or よく眠れた。」
= Aa, yoku neta. or nemureta.
= Haaa I slept well (for a long time)! or I was able to sleep very well.
While よく寝た(=yokuneta) implies the length of your sleep, よく眠れた(=yoku nemureta) implies the quality of sleep)
When we use with adverbs such as ぐっすり=gussuri=deeply, etc., there is not much difference, still I would say 眠る（= nemuru） to give the impression of deeper sleep.
Ex. 「マギーぐっすり寝てるね。or ぐっすり眠ってるね。」
= Maggie gussuri neterune. or Gussuri nemutteiru ne.
= Maggie is sleeping soundly.
Grammar Note :
寝てる(=neteru) casual form←寝ている(=neteiru)
眠ってる(=nemutteru) casual form←眠っている(=nemutteiru)
Ex. 私はどこでも寝れる。 or 眠れる
＝Watashi wa dokodemo nereru. or nemureru
= I can sleep anywhere. or fall asleep everywhere.
寝れる(=nereru) means “to lie down anywhere and sleep” 眠れる(=nemureru) means “to fall asleep anywhere”
************************************************
寝る= neru
1) To go to bed, to go sleep
Ex. 「もう寝なさい!」
= Mou nenasai!
= Go to bed now! / Go to sleep now!
Ex. 明日早いからもうそろそろ寝たら？
= Ashita hayai kara mou sorosoro netara?
= You have an early day tomorrow. Why don’t you go to bed already?
Ex. もうこんな時間だから寝ます。
= Mou konna jikan dakara nemasu.
= It is already late so I will go to bed now.
Ex. いつも何時に寝ますか？
= Itsumo nanji ni nemasu ka?
= What time do you usually go to bed/sleep?
Ex. 寝る前にはあまり食べない方がいい。
= Neru mae ni wa amari tabenai hou ga ii.
= We shouldn’t eat too much before we go to bed.
2) Action of sleeping (to lie down and sleep)
Ex. ちょっとだけ寝てきます。
= Chotto dake nete kimasu.
= I will take a catnap.
Ex. 最近あまり寝ていない。
= Saikin amari nete inai.
= I haven’t been sleeping enough lately.
Ex. 今夜、寝る場所がない。
= Konya neru basho ga nai.
= There is no place to stay tonight.
Ex. 皆が寝ている間に勉強する
= Mina ga neteiru aida ni benkyou suru.
= to study while everybody is sleeping
Ex. 最近、寝てもすぐ目が覚める
= Saikin nete mo sugu mega sameru
= Lately when I go to sleep, I wake up easily.
Ex.寝ると疲れがとれる
= Neru to tsukare ga toreru
= If you get enough sleep, you’ll be able to get rid of the tired feeling.
3) Proverbs with 寝る(= neru)
Ex. 寝た子を起こすな
= Neta ko wo okosu na.
= Let sleeping dogs lie.
Ex. 寝る子は育つ
= Neru ko wa sodatsu
= Sleep brings up a child well
Ex. 食べてすぐ寝ると（or 横になると）牛になる。
= Tabete sugu neru to ushi ni naru
= You will become a cow if you sleep (or lay down) right after you eat.
(It is not good for digestion to sleep (or lay down) right after you eat.) [<-- This is a common Japanese belief.]
●寝だめはできない
= Nedame wa dekinai.
= You can’t store up sleep.
4) Other expressions with 寝 :
●寝入る
= neiru
= drop asleep
Ex. 子供を寝かしつける
= Kodomo wo nekashi tsukeru
= to get a child to sleep
●昼寝(を)する
= hirune (wo ) suru
= to take a nap
Ex. 寝方が悪いから肩が凝る
= Nekata ga warui kara kata ga koru
= You sleep wrong so you get stiff shoulders
●寝相が悪い
= nezou ga warui
= restless sleeper, toss around, moving a lot while you sleep, kicking one’s futon
●寝顔
= negao
= sleeping face
Ex. マギーの寝顔はかわいい
= Maggie no negao wa kawaii
= Maggie looks cute when she is asleep
●寝床
= nedoko
= bed, the place you sleep (a bit old fashioned)
●寝言
= negoto
= sleep talking
Ex. 寝言を言う
= negoto wo iu
= to talk during sleep
●寝たばこ
= netabako
= smoking in bed
Ex. 寝たばこを吸う
= netabako wo suu
= to smoke in bed
●寝たきり
= Netakiri
= bed ridden
●食っちゃ寝
= Kuccha ne
= eating and sleeping (describe one’s lazy life Check this mini lesson)
Ex. 毎日、食っちゃ寝の生活だ。
= Mainichi kucchane no seikatsu da.
= I have been just eating and sleeping everyday. (That’s all I do in my life.)
Like in English, 寝る(= neru) also has a sexual connotation.
Ex.「もう彼女と寝たの？」
= Mou kanojo to netano?
= Did you sleep with her already?
●川の字になって寝る
= kawa no ji ni natte neru
= Three people sleep next to each other like a letter of 川( = kawa)
Like this…
Note : In Japan, it is pretty common to sleep with your child in the same room when they are small.
So when three people (usually parents and a child) lined up (like a letter of 川=kawa) we use this expression.
●寝違える= nechigaeru = to sprained one’s neck while sleeping
●うたた寝= utatane = dozing
●ゴロ寝 = goro ne = to lie dozing in a lazy way (Usually without changing one’s clothes.)
Ex. 父は日曜日はいつもパジャマのままでゴロ寝をしている。
= Chichi wa nichiyoubi wa itsumo pajamama no mamade gorone wo shiteiru.
= My father always lies dozing (on the floor) in pajamas at home on Sundays.
●雑魚寝= zakone = this describes many people sleep in a huddle, to sleep crowded together in the same room.
●寝不足= nebusoku = lack of sleep
Ex. 今日は寝不足だ。
= Kyou wa nebusoku da.
= I haven’t slept enough today.
********************************************
眠る = nemuru
1) to fall asleep, to sleep
●最近よく眠れない。
= Saikin yoku nemurenai
= I haven’t been sleeping well lately
●眠りが浅い
= nemuri ga asai
= shallow sleep
●眠りが深い
= nemuri ga fukai
= deep sleep
●眠りから覚める
= nemuri kara sameru
= to be awake from one’s sleep
●眠りにつく
= nemuri ni tsuku
= to fall asleep
●深い眠り
= fukai nemuri
= a deep sleep
Ex. お姫様は深い眠りから覚めました。
= Ohimesama wa fukai nemuri kara samemashita.
= The princess awoke from a deep sleep.
The fairy tale that we all know is,
●眠れる森の美女
= Nemureru mori no bijo
= ”Sleeping Beauty”
2) 眠る(= nemuru) also describe something is in the condition of not being used for a long time.
Ex, うちに使わずに眠っているピアノが一台ある。
= Uchi ni tsukawazu ni nemutte iru piano ga ichidai aru.
= In my house we have a piano that nobody has played for a long time.
3) 眠る(= nemuru) is also a metaphor for passing away.
●永遠の眠りにつく
= eien no nemuri ni tsuku
= to sleep forever, to die
or
●永眠する
= eimin suru
4) Other expressions with 眠
●眠くなる
= nemuku naru
= to get sleepier, to feel sleepy
Ex. 眠くなってきた。
= nemutaku natte kita
= I’m getting sleepier
●眠たい
= nemutai
= to be sleepy
●居眠り
= inemuri
= a catnap, a snooze
●仮眠する
= kamin
= catnap,short sleep, to catch 40 winks
=to catch a little sleep/to catch some z’s
●快眠
= kaimin
= a good sleep
●不眠症
= fuminshou
= insomnia
Ex. 私最近不眠症なんだ。
= Watashi saikin fuminshou nanda
●眠気 = nemuke = sleepiness
Ex. 眠気覚ましにコーヒーを飲む
= nemuke zamashi ni kouhii wo nomu
= to have a cup of coffee to keep oneself awake
●睡眠
= suimin
= to sleep
●睡眠時間が短い
= suimin jikan ga mijikai
= to have a short sleep time, to not have much time to sleep
●睡眠をとる
= suimin wo toru
= to have a sleep
●睡眠不足
= suimin busoku
= a lack of sleep
●ノンレム睡眠
= non remu suimin
= non-REM sleep (non-rapid eye movement sleep)
●睡眠時間
= suimin jikan
= sleeping hours
●睡眠薬
= suimin yaku
= sleeping tablets, pills
●睡魔が襲う
= suima ga osou
= to get sleepy suddenly
Ex. 急に睡魔が襲ってきた。
= Kyuuni suima ga osotte kita.
= to suddenly feel sleepy
●睡魔と戦う
= suima to tatakau
= to fight off sleep
●熟睡
= jukusui
= a dead sleep
●爆睡 (colloquial)
= bakusui
= a dead sleep
＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊
Japanese is full of onomatopoetic words and there are a few words to describe how we sleep.
When you describe a baby who is sleeping well, we often use,
●すやすや
= suyasuya
Ex. すやすや眠っているね。
= Suyasuya nemutte irune.
( You can also use it for adults.)
to be fast asleep
●ぐっすり
= gusssuri
●ぐーぐー ／グーグ
= guuguu
●ぐーすか(casual, comical)
= guusuka
●うとうとする
= utouto suru
= to doze off, to nod off
< Other sleep related words >
●寝床
=nedoko
= bed, place to sleep
●寝具 (formal)
= shingu
= bedding
●布団
= futon
( I think “futon” has become an international word now.)
Ex. 布団を敷く
= futon wo shiku
(In many areas, they say 布団をひく= futon wo hiku)
Cultural note : Unlike western beds, traditionally we put back 布団 (=futon) in the morning in the closet called 押し入れ(=oshiire) and take them out before you sleep. Thus we can use the bedroom space during the day.
●敷き布団
= shiki buton
= bottom futon, mattress
●掛け布団
= kake buton
= comforter, top cover
●目覚まし時計
= mezamashi dokei
= alarm clock
●毛布
= moufu
= blanket
Ex. 毛布をかける
= moufu wo kakeru
= to cover oneself with a blanket
●枕 = makura = a pillow
When we travel, we often say
Ex. 枕が変わると眠れない。
= Makura ga kawaru to nemurenai
= I can’t sleep when I have a different pillow.
●いびきをかく
= ibiki wo kaku
= to snore
●夢をみる
= yume wo miru
= to dream
Ex. マギーの夢をみた。
= Maggie no yume wo mita
= I had a dream about Maggie.
マギー先生より= Maggie Sensei yori = From Maggie Sensei
今、”美味しい”夢をみているから起こさないで下さい！
= Ima “oishii” yume wo mite iru kara okosanai de kudasai!
= I am having a “delicious” dream right now. Don’t wake me up!
17 Responses to “寝る(=neru) VS 眠る(=nemuru) + Sleep related expressions”
Leave a Reply
@maggiesensei 
マリア on June 28th, 2011
このレッスンホント役に立つです．いつもありがとうマギー先生(^o^)／
Maggie on June 28th, 2011
@マリア
…と言ってくれるのが一番うれしいです＼(^o^)／
Luna on June 1st, 2011
マギー先生、
いいレッソンでしたね！いつも日本語を教えてくれて、ありがとうございます。ｍ（＿‘‘‘＿）ｍ
時々私は「よく寝た」言えますが、「よく眠れた」言えません
（T_T）.不眠症ですからね。もし睡眠薬を飲んだら、眠れます。（笑）
じゃ、「不眠症」のことの問題があります★。
例えば：
「不眠症があります」？
「昨日の晩不眠症があるので、今朝早く起きられませんでした。」
その「不眠症があります」は正しいですか。（笑）
ポルトガル語で意味がありますが、たぶん日本語であまり使いませんね。
ありがとうございます。＾＾
ルナより。
Maggie on June 1st, 2011
@Luna
そう、Lunaは不眠症なのですね。
「不眠症」は動詞の「ある」は使わず
Ex. 私は不眠症です。
Ex. 不眠症で毎晩眠れない。
Ex. A : 「最近よく眠れないの。」- B:「不眠症じゃない？」
というふうに使います。
日常生活でよく使いますが、実は「不眠症」というのは”睡眠障害=(suimin shougai=Sleep disorder)の中の病気の名前です。
Lunaも寝る前は、ゆったりと過ごすといいですよ〜♪
sven on May 31st, 2011
i just asked my friend this question a few days ago so thanks for the detailed response!
Maggie on May 31st, 2011
@sven
それは偶然（ぐうぜん）！！= What a coincidence!
このレッスン、作（つく）ってよかったです！！
Kristy on May 28th, 2011
Thank you for this lesson! This really helped alot because I don’t understand the difference between the 2. Hopefully I’ll use the 2 words correctly next time. =)
Maggie on May 28th, 2011
@Kristy
Thank you for your comment. Feel free to practice here or on Twitter! I can help you anytime!
Jetta on May 28th, 2011
Hey Maggie! Thanks a lot, you bestlooking and fastest Japanese-teaching Dog on the net! Until my next question ;-)
Jetta
Maggie on May 28th, 2011
@Jetta
Glad you checked the lesson. I hope my lesson didn’t make you feel sleepy!
Aki on May 28th, 2011
枕が変わると眠れない。<-that happens to me a lot but only for one night and then I am fine
そしても、私はどこでも寝れるよ。ふふ～！＾～＾
けど、そんなこと恥ずかしいね・・・。＿。
マギー先生、ありがと～！！
お風呂に時は、寝てるかな？（笑）
色々な日本人はお風呂に寝るよ！なんか、可愛い～！
Maggie on May 28th, 2011
@Aki
じゃあ、Akiは枕を持って旅行に行かないとね。でもどこでも寝れるなんて幸せだね〜！
(a little correction ; お風呂に時は寝てるかな？→お風呂に入ると寝てるかな？ 色々な日本人→多くの日本人 お風呂に寝るよ→お風呂で）
日本人は電車の中で寝ているか携帯で遊んでいるかどっちかです。
Harin on May 27th, 2011
勉強になりました！
以下の表現もよく使われますか？
寝違える
寝ぐせがつく
うたた寝する
Maggie on May 27th, 2011
＠Harin
久しぶりです！！
3つの表現もよく使います。後で付け足しておきますね。
curryisyummy on May 27th, 2011
Nice lesson! I like this one.. the timing was good (俺はレポートを夜更かしして書いてるから眠たいんだ（笑）)
By the way, you wrote:
Ex. 最近、寝てもすぐ目が覚める
= Saikin nete mo sugu okiru
= Lately even if I go to sleep, I wake up easily
I think you meant either 最近、寝てもすぐ起きる or the romaji is wrong, or something. I just thought I’d point it out. Sorry.
Maggie on May 27th, 2011
@curryisyummy
Heeey! Your first comment on this site! Thank you so much for spotting the mistake. I fixed it.
もう寝ていいよ〜!
curryisyummy on May 27th, 2011
Of course! It’s not a problem. お役に立って嬉しいよ
Heh, I guess you’re right.. it is my first comment on the site. ^^