Nemui is the Japanese word for ‘sleepy’, explained with examples

What does “nemui” mean in Japanese?

Japanese people say “nemui” to mean ‘sleepy’ in Japanese. Very simple, I think. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word with its major conjugations. And also, I will explain how to use them through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to use “nemui” more properly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “nemui”
  • Example #1: how to say “sleepy” in Japanese
• Nai form of “nemui”
  • Example #2: how to say “not sleepy” in Japanese
• Ta form of “nemui”
  • Example #3: how to say “was sleepy” in Japanese
• Te form of “nemui”
  • Example #4: how to say “sleepy and” in Japanese
• Ba form of “nemui”
  • Example #5: how to say “if sleepy” in Japanese
• Summary

Definition and meaning of “nemui”

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

• nemui – 眠い (ねむい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘sleepy’ in Japanese.

The definition and meaning are simple and clear, I think. Next, let me explain how to use this i-adjective through the example sentence below.

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

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• 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.

This is a typical usage of “nemui”. When we want to say “sleepy” in Japanese, it is a very good option.

It’s worth mentioning that Japanese native speakers tend to omit the subject word in a sentence when they can understand it from the situation and context. So, they often just say “nemui” to mean ‘I’m sleepy’.

So far, I’ve explained “nemui” and how to use it through the example sentence. In the rest part of this blog post, I will explain its major conjugations. The first one is “nemukunai”.

Nai form of “nemui”

Below are the definition and meaning of “nemukunai”.

• nemukunai – 眠くない (ねむくない) : the nai form of “nemui”, meaning ‘not sleepy’ in Japanese.

Grammatically, “nemukunai” consists of the following two parts:

• nemuku – 眠く (ねむく) : one conjugation of “nemui”. This can have a smooth connection with “nai”.
• nai – ない : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to deny its meaning. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this auxiliary verb is similar to that of “not”.

From these two components, we can understand that “nemukunai” is literally the nai form of “nemui” and means ‘not sleepy’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this nai form through the example sentence below.

Example #2: how to say “not sleepy” in Japanese

This is a typical usage of “nemukunai”. When we want to say “not sleepy” in Japanese, this nai form is a very good choice.

Ta form of “nemui”

Below are the definition and meaning of “nemukatta”.

• nemukatta – 眠かった (ねむかった) : the ta form of “nemui”, meaning ‘was sleepy’ or ‘were sleepy’ in Japanese.

Grammatically, “nemukatta” consists of the following two parts:

• nemukat – 眠かっ (ねむかっ) : one conjugation of “nemui”. This can have a smooth connection with “ta”.
• ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its ta form.

From these two components, we can understand that “nemukatta” is literally the ta form of “nemui”. In Japanese, ta forms of words can work as their past tense forms. So, we can use “nemukatta” to mean ‘was sleepy’ or ‘were sleepy’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

Example #3: how to say “was sleepy” in Japanese

This is a typical usage of “nemukatta”. When we want to use the past tense form of “sleepy” in Japanese, this ta form is a very good option.

Te form of “nemui”

Below are the definition and meaning of “nemukute”.

• nemukute – 眠くて (ねむくて) : the te form of “nemui”, meaning ‘sleepy’ in Japanese.

Grammatically, “nemukute” consists of the following two parts:

• nemuku – 眠く (ねむく) : one conjugation of “nemui”. This can have a smooth connection with “te”.
• te – て : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its te form.

From these two components, we can understand that “nemukute” is literally the te form of “nemui”. In Japanese, te forms of words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. Actually, “nemukute” is very useful when we want to use “nemui” before another adjective or a verb with a smooth connection. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

Example #4: how to say “sleepy and” in Japanese

Below are the new words and particle used in the example sentence.

• tsukare – 疲れ (つかれ) : one conjugation of the verb, “tsukareru”, which means ‘to get tired’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• te – て : the same as used in “nemukute”. This is used after “tsukare” to make its te form, “tsukare te”. Verbs need to be changed to their te forms to be connected with “iru”.
• iru – いる : an auxiliary verb used to express the continuity of the action described by the preceding verb. In the example, this is used after the te-formed verb, “tsukare te”, to express the continuity of its action, “to get tired”. So, we can understand the meaning of the formed phrase as ‘to be tired’.

This is a typical usage of “nemukute”. In this example, it has the smooth connection with the te-formed verb, “tsukare te”. When we want to use “nemui” before another adjective or a verb with a smooth connection, its te form is very useful.

Ba form of “nemui”

Below are the definition and meaning of “nemukereba”.

• nemukereba – 眠ければ (ねむければ) : the ba form of “nemui”, working to make a conditional clause in a sentence with the meaning of ‘sleepy’.

Grammatically, “nemukereba” consists of the following two parts:

• nemukere – 眠ければ (ねむければ) : one conjugation of “nemui”. This can have a smooth connection with “ba”.
• ba – ば : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its ba form.

From these two components, we can understand that “nemukereba” is literally the ba form of “nemui”. In Japanese, ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “nemukereba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with the meaning of ‘sleepy’ in Japanese. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

Example #5: how to say “if sleepy” in Japanese

Below are the new words and particle used in the example sentence.

• ne – 寝 (ね) : one conjugation of the verb, “neru”, which means ‘to sleep’ in Japanese.
• te – て : the same as explained in the last example. In this example, this is used after “ne” to make its te form, “ne te”. Verbs need to be changed to their te forms to be connected with “kudasai”.
• kudasai – 下さい (ください) : the command form of the verb, “kudasaru”, which means ‘to give’ in Japanese. When it follows a verb, however, it can work as an auxiliary verb to add the meaning of ‘please’.

This is a typical usage of “nemukereba”. In this example, it makes the conditional clause in the sentence. When we want to say “if sleepy” in Japanese, this ba form is a very good option.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained “nemui” and how to use it. And also, I’ve explained its major conjugations with the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• nemui – 眠い (ねむい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘sleepy’ in Japanese.
• nemukunai – 眠くない (ねむくない) : the nai form of “nemui”, meaning ‘not sleepy’ in Japanese.
• nemukatta – 眠かった (ねむかった) : the ta form of “nemui”, meaning ‘was sleepy’ or ‘were sleepy’ in Japanese. So, this is the past tense form of “nemui”.
• nemukute – 眠くて (ねむくて) : the te form of “nemui”, meaning ‘sleepy’ in Japanese. This form is very useful when we want to use “nemui” before another adjective or a verb with a smooth connection.
• nemukereba – 眠ければ (ねむければ) : the ba form of “nemui”, working to make a conditional clause in a sentence with the meaning of ‘sleepy’ in Japanese.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.