Yume is the Japanese word for ‘dream’, explained

What does “yume” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “yume” to mean ‘dream’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is sometimes used in Japanese movies, songs, novels, manga, anime, and the like. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word in detail together with its kanji expressions. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners understand “yume” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “yume”
• What did “yume” originally mean in Japanese?
  • Example #1: how to say “dream” in Japanese
  • Example #2: another usage of “yume”
• Summary

Definition and meaning of “yume”

Let me start with the definition and meaning of “yume”.

• yume – 夢 (ゆめ) : a noun meaning ‘dream’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.

Japanese native speakers use this noun to refer to consecutive images which they see while sleeping or a wish which they want to make happen in the future. So, this Japanese noun is very similar to the English one, “dream”. Japanese learners, especially those who are familiar with English, can therefore easily understand what this noun can mean, I think.

The definition and meaning are not that difficult. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its original kanji expression in detail.

What did “yume” originally mean in Japanese?

Today, “yume” is written in kanji as “夢”. In the past, however, it had a different kanji expression. “寝目” is it. As times change, Japanese people accept some new kanji expressions and discard some old. “寝目” is one of the discarded ones, but it represents well the original concept of “yume”. So, let me explain these two kanji characters in detail, one by one:

• 寝 : a kanji character widely used to refer to the act of sleeping. This kanji can also be found in other words like “neru” and “hirune“.
• 目 : a kanji character widely used to mean ‘eye’ or ‘eyes’ in Japanese.

These two kanji characters tell us that “yume” literally means ‘sleeping eyes’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the actual meaning, but still understandable, I think. Dreams are often consecutive images which we see while sleeping.

When we meet new Japanese words, we should check their kanji characters in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, kanji characters tell us a lot about the meanings of the words they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “yume” through the detailed kanji check above.

So far, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “yume” together with its kanji expressions. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.

Example #1: how to say “dream” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kinou – 昨日 (きのう) : a noun meaning ‘yesterday’ in Japanese. This can also work as an adverb almost anywhere in a sentence. In the example, this works as an adverb at the beginning of the sentence to say “yesterday” in Japanese.
• watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “watashi” to make the subject in the sentence.
• kowai – 怖い (こわい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘scary’ in Japanese. In the example, this works as a modifier before “yume” to mean a ‘scary dream’ in Japanese.
• wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after the noun phrase, “kowai yume”, to make the object in the sentence.
• mi – 見 (み) : one conjugation of the verb, “miru“, which means ‘to see’, ‘to watch’, ‘to look’, or such in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese ta form. In the example, this is used after “mi” to make its past tense form, “mi ta”.

This is a typical usage of “yume”. In this example, it works as a part of the commonly-used phrase, “yume wo mi ta”, which means ‘to have had a dream’ in Japanese. This phrase should be learnt together with its present tense form, “yume wo miru”.

Example #2: another usage of “yume”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• no – の : a case particle used after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, this is used after “watashi” to make its possessive case, “watashi no“, which means ‘my’ in Japanese.
• kyoushi – 教師 (きょうし) : a noun meaning ‘teacher’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
• ni – に : a case particle used to say what someone or something becomes after a change or action. In the example, this is used after “kyoushi” to say what the speaker wants to become in the future.
• naru – なる : a verb meaning ‘to become’, ‘to turn’, ‘to get’, or such in Japanese.
• koto – 事 (こと) : a noun meaning ‘thing’, ‘matter’, ‘event’, ‘affair’, or such in Japanese. This can also work to make a noun clause in a sentence. In the example, this works after “kyoushi ni naru” to make the noun clause in the sentence.
• desu – です : an auxiliary verb used after a noun or adjective to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese desu form. In the example, this is used after the noun clause, “kyoushi ni naru koto”, to make it sound polite.

This is another typical usage of “yume”. In this example, it works as a part of the noun phrase, “watashi no yume”, which means ‘my dream’ in Japanese. When we want to say “dream” in Japanese, anyway, this noun is always a very good option.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “yume” in detail together with its kanji expressions. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• yume – 夢 (ゆめ) : a noun meaning ‘dream’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Native speakers use this noun to refer to consecutive images which they see while sleeping or a wish which they want to make happen in the future. So, this noun is very similar to the English one, “dream”.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.