Japanese symbol for “wake”
覚める
さめる
Romaji: sameru
to wake; to wake up
In Japanese, wake is 覚める, read さめる (sameru).
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
- v1, vi to wake; to wake up
- v1, vi to wear off (of drunkenness, anaesthesia, etc.); to regain consciousness; to sober up
- v1, vi to come to one's senses; to be disillusioned
Written forms: 覚める、醒める. Readings: さめる.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “wake”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 起こす | おこす okosu | to wake; to wake up; to waken |
| 通夜 | つや tsuya | all-night vigil over a body; wake |
| 航跡 | こうせき kouseki | wake (of a ship or aircraft) |
| 轍 | わだち wadachi | rut; wheel track; furrow |
| 澪 | みお mio | wake (of a ship) |
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 “wake”.
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.