Japanese symbol for “sleepy”
眠い
ねむい
Romaji: nemui
sleepy; drowsy; somnolent
In Japanese, sleepy is 眠い, read ねむい (nemui).
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-i sleepy; drowsy; somnolent
Written forms: 眠い、睡い. Readings: ねむい.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “sleepy”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 眠たい | ねむたい nemutai | sleepy; drowsy |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 睡眠 | すいみん suimin | sleep |
| 眠り | ねむり nemuri | sleep; sleeping |
| 居眠り | いねむり inemuri | nodding off (while sitting); dozing |
| 眠る | ねむる nemuru | to sleep |
| 眠気 | ねむけ nemuke | sleepiness; drowsiness |
See also: Chinese symbol for “sleepy”.
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.