寝る

• Reading: ねる
• Romaji: neru
• Kanji breakdown: 寝 (shin/ne) — to sleep, to lie down
• Pronunciation: /ne.ɾɯ/

Meaning

To sleep; to go to bed; to lie down. The primary verb for sleeping in Japanese.

A Group 2 (ichidan) intransitive verb. Covers both the act of going to sleep and the state of lying down. Often used with time expressions to indicate bedtime. The related word 眠る (nemuru) emphasises the state of being asleep, while 寝る focuses more on the act of going to bed.

Examples

1. 昨日は十一時に寝ました。 I went to bed at eleven last night.
2. 赤ちゃんがもう寝ている。 The baby is already sleeping.
3. 疲れたから早く寝たい。 I'm tired, so I want to go to bed early.

Usage Guide

Context: daily life, bedtime, health

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

From Old Japanese. The kanji 寝 combines 宀 (roof/house) and 侵 (to lie down), depicting someone lying down under a roof to rest.

Cultural Context

Era: Ancient

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal