覚ます

• Reading: さます
• Romaji: samasu
• Kanji breakdown: 覚 (kaku/sa) — to awaken, perceive
• Pronunciation: /sa.ma.sɯ/

Meaning

To awaken; to wake someone up; to bring to one's senses. The transitive verb for making someone wake up or become alert.

A Group 1 (godan) verb conjugated with the す row. The transitive counterpart of 覚める (to wake up). Most commonly used in 目を覚ます (to open one's eyes / to wake up). Also used figuratively to mean bringing someone to their senses or breaking an illusion. Distinct from 冷ます (to cool), which uses a different kanji.

Examples

1. 大きな音で目を覚ました。 A loud noise woke me up.
2. 冷たい水で眠気を覚まして出かけた。 I splashed cold water on my face to shake off the drowsiness and headed out.
3. その失敗が彼の目を覚ますきっかけになった。 That failure was the wake-up call he needed.

Usage Guide

Context: daily life, figurative, self-awareness

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

From the verb stem さます, written with 覚 (kaku, to awaken/perceive). The kanji combines learning and awareness, evoking the clarity of awakened consciousness.

Cultural Context

Era: Classical

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal