Dream in Japanese: yume, explained in detail based on its kanji

How to say “dream” in Japanese

Japanese native speakers would say “yume”. It is the Japanese word for ‘dream’. Interestingly, it corresponds very, very well to the English word, “dream”. It can be used to express consecutive images while sleeping or a wish which we want to make happen in the future. In this blog post, I will explain “yume” meaning in detail based on its kanji expressions. In addition, I will explain how to use it through the example sentences. Let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “yume”
• Some history of “yume”
• Example #1: how to say “dream” in Japanese
• Example #2: how to use “yume” meaning a wish
• Summary

Definition and meaning of “yume”

First of all, let me start with the definition and meaning of “yume”.

• yume – 夢 (ゆめ) : a noun meaning ‘dream’ in Japanese. Like the English word, it can be used to express consecutive images while sleeping or a wish which we want to make happen in the future. Depending on the situation, it can also be used as a plural noun. Learn more about Japanese plural.

As you can see here, “yume” and “dream” are a perfect match. Both can be used to express consecutive images while sleeping or a wish which we want to make happen in the future. So, those who are familiar with the English language can easily understand this word and how to use it, I think.

To understand “yume” more clearly, however, let me explain some history behind it.

Some history of “yume”

In the past, “yume” had a different kanji expression from the current one. “寝目” is it. This means that its kanji expression has been changed from “寝目” to “夢”. Sometimes, this kind of update could happen to Japanese kanji expressions. So, checking old or original kanji expressions would be very helpful to understand meanings of current words more clearly. Especially in the case of “yume”, its meanings themselves haven’t been changed, so this method will work well. Below are the kanji characters originally used in “yume”.

• 寝 – a kanji character widely used to mean ‘sleep’ or something related to the act of sleeping.
• 目 – a kanji character widely used to mean ‘eye(s)’ or something related to the act of seeing.

From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “yume” literally means what we see while sleeping. This concept formed by its original kanji seems to be completely in line with its meaning, I think. Like this, checking old or original kanji characters of Japanese words can help us a lot to understand their current meanings more clearly.

So far, I’ve explained “yume” and its two different kanji expressions: “夢” and “寝目”. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.

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

Below are new words used in the example sentence.

• kino – 昨日 (きのう) : a noun meaning ‘yesterday’ in Japanese.
• no – の : a case particle used to limit a meaning of its following word with a meaning of its prior word based on relations like possessing or belonging. In the example sentence, it is put after the noun, “kino”, to limit the meaning of its following word, “yoru”. The formed phrase, “kino no yoru”, can be literally translated as “a night of yesterday”. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of “no” is quite similar to that of the English preposition, “of”. Both can be used to limit a meaning of word.
• yoru – 夜 (よる) : a noun meaning ‘night’ 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, it is put after the pronoun, “watashi”, to make the subject word in the sentence.
• kowai – 怖い (こわい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘scary’ in Japanese. In the example, it is used before “yume” to add the meaning of ‘scary’.
• wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, it is put after “yume” to make the object word in the sentence. It’s written as “wo”, but its actual pronunciation is “o”.
• mi – 見 (み) : one conjugation of the verb, “miru”, which means ‘to see’ in Japanese. It has been conjugated for a better connection with its following word.
• mashi – まし : one conjugation of the auxiliary verb, “masu”, which is put after a verb or auxiliary verb to make it polite. Perhaps, it is well known for a part of Japanese masu form. In the example, it is put after the conjugated verb, “mi”, to make it sound polite.
• ta – た : an auxiliary verb put after a verb, adjective, auxiliary verb, or phrase to make its past tense. In the example, it is put after the verb phrase, “mi mashi”, to make its past tense, “mi mashi ta”.

This is a typical usage of “yume”. In this example, it is used to express consecutive images while sleeping.

“Yume wo mi masu” used in this example is a typical Japanese expression for ‘to have a dream’. Its less polite expression, “yume wo miru”, can also be used for the same meaning. But, in formal situations, we should use “masu” or its conjugation. It helps us to be as polite as possible.

Example #2: how to use “yume” meaning a wish

Below are new words used in the example sentence.

• no – の : the same as explained in the last example. But, in this example, it is put after the pronoun, “watashi”, to make its possessive case, “watashi no”, which means ‘my’ in Japanese. It is a kind of special usage of “no”. Learn more about “watashi no“.
• tsuyaku – 通訳 (つうやく) : a noun meaning ‘interpreter’ in Japanese.
• ni – に : a case particle used to indicate a particular place or state to which someone or something goes. Based on this concept, it can also be used to indicate a result of a change. In this example, it is put after the noun, “tsuyaku”, to indicate what “watashi” wants to become in the future.
• naru – なる : a verb meaning ‘to become’, ‘to turn’, or ‘to get’ in Japanese.
• koto – 事 (こと) : a noun meaning ‘thing’, ‘matter’, ‘event’, or ‘affair’ in Japanese. It is often used after a verb or adjective to make a noun clause. In the example, it is put after the noun, “naru”, to make the noun clause including all prior words.
• desu – です : an auxiliary verb put after a noun or adjective to make it polite. In the example, it is put after the noun, “koto” (or the noun clause), to make it sound polite.

This is another typical usage of “yume”. In this example, it is used to express a wish which ‘watashi’ wants to make happen in the future.

“Watashi no yume” used in this example is the Japanese expression for ‘my dream’. Sometimes, “shourai no” is inserted between “watashi no” and “yume” to mean ‘my future dream’ more specifically.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the word, “yume”, in detail based on 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. It can be used to express consecutive images while sleeping or a wish which we want to make happen in the future.
• yume – 寝目 (ゆめ) : an old kanji expression of “yume”. These two kanji literally mean “what we see while sleeping”. This is the basic concept lying under “yume” meaning.
• yume wo miru – 夢を見る (ゆめをみる) : a Japanese expression for ‘to have a dream’. In this case, “yume” is used to express consecutive images while sleeping. But, it depends on the situation and context.
• watashi no yume – 私の夢 (わたしのゆめ) : a Japanese expression for ‘my dream’. Sometimes, “shourai no” is inserted between “watashi no” and “yume”. “Watashi no shourai no yume” specifically means ‘my future dream’ in Japanese.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.