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

How to say “dream” in Japanese

Japanese people would say “yume”. It is the Japanese word for ‘dream’. Interestingly, it corresponds very, very well to the English word, “dream”. It can refer to 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. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “yume”
• Some history of “yume”
  • 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. Like the English word, it can refer to consecutive images while sleeping or a wish which we want to make happen in the future. This can also work as a plural noun. Learn more about Japanese plural.

“Yume” and “dream” are a perfect match. Both can refer to consecutive images while sleeping or a wish which we want to make happen in the future. So, Japanese learners, especially those who are familiar with the English language, can easily understand this word and how to use it, I think.

To understand this word more clearly, however, let me explain some history behind its kanji expression.

Some history of “yume”

In the past, “yume” had a different kanji expression. “寝目” is it. This means, its kanji expression was updated. Sometimes, this kind of update can happen to Japanese kanji expressions. So, checking old or original expressions is sometimes helpful to understand meanings of current words more clearly. In fact, “寝目” tells us more about the meaning of “yume”. To understand the meaning more clearly, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one:

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

From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “yume” expresses what we see while sleeping. This kanji concept seems to be in line with the meaning.

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 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. In the example, it works as an adverb 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 is used after “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, this works as a modifier before “yume” to say “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. 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 expression, “yume wo mi ta”, which means ‘to have had a dream’ in Japanese. This expression should be learnt together with its present tense form, “yume wo miru”. Anyway, when we want to say “dream” in Japanese, this word would be the best choice.

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.
• tsuuyaku – 通訳 (つうやく) : a noun meaning ‘interpreter’ in Japanese.
• ni – に : a case particle used to indicate a state which someone or something is in after a change or action. Based on this concept, it is used to say what “watashi” want to become. “Tsuuyaku” is not a word for a state, but being an interpreter can be considered as a state.
• 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 the example, this works after the phrase, “tsuuyaku ni naru”, to make the noun clause.
• 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, “tsuuyaku 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 commonly-used expression, “watashi no yume wa”, which means ‘my dream is’ in Japanese.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained “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. Like the English word, it can refer to consecutive images while sleeping or a wish which we want to make happen in the future. This can also work as a plural noun.
• yume – 寝目 (ゆめ) : the 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” refers to consecutive images while sleeping.
• watashi no yume wa – 私の夢は (わたしのゆめは) : a Japanese expression for ‘my dream is’. In this case, “yume” refers to a wish which we want to make happen in the future.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.