Japanese symbol for “awaken”
覚ます
さます
Romaji: samasu
to awaken; to arouse from sleep
In Japanese, awaken is 覚ます, read さます (samasu).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- v5s, vt to awaken; to arouse from sleep
- v5s, vt to bring to one's senses; to disabuse (someone of)
- v5s, vt to sober up
- v5s, vt to dampen; to throw a damper on; to spoil
Written forms: 覚ます、醒ます. Readings: さます.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “awaken”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 起こす | おこす okosu | to wake; to wake up; to waken |
| 呼び起こす | よびおこす yobiokosu | to wake (someone) up (by calling for them); to awaken |
| 寝覚め | ねざめ nezame | awaken |
| 呼び覚ます | よびさます yobisamasu | to wake up (someone; by calling out); to awaken |
| アウェイクン | アウェイクン aweikun | awaken |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 感覚 | かんかく kankaku | sense; sensation; feeling |
| 覚え | おぼえ oboe | memory; sense; experience |
| 覚悟 | かくご kakugo | readiness; (mental) preparedness |
| 自覚 | じかく jikaku | self-awareness; awareness (of one's position, abilities, duty, etc.); consciousness |
| 発覚 | はっかく hakkaku | detection (of a plot, fraud, etc.); discovery; coming to light |
| 覚える | おぼえる oboeru | to memorize; to memorise; to commit to memory |
See also: Chinese symbol for “awaken”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.