Japanese symbol for “sleep”
睡眠
すいみん
Romaji: suimin
sleep
In Japanese, sleep is 睡眠, read すいみん (suimin).
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
- adj-no, n sleep
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “sleep”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 寝る | ねる neru | to sleep (lying down) |
| 寝 | ね ne | sleep |
| 眠り | ねむり nemuri | sleep; sleeping |
| 眠る | ねむる nemuru | to sleep |
| 休む | やすむ yasumu | to go to bed; to (lie down to) sleep; to turn in |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 昏睡 | こんすい konsui | coma |
| 熟睡 | じゅくすい jukusui | deep sleep; sound sleep; profound sleep |
| 一睡 | いっすい issui | wink of sleep; snooze; doze |
| 睡魔 | すいま suima | sleepiness; drowsiness |
| 睡眠薬 | すいみんやく suimin'yaku | sleeping pill; sleep medication |
| 眠り | ねむり nemuri | sleep; sleeping |
| 眠い | ねむい nemui | sleepy; drowsy; somnolent |
| 居眠り | いねむり inemuri | nodding off (while sitting); dozing |
See also: Chinese symbol for “sleep”.
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.