What does “nemui” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “nemui” to mean ‘sleepy’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this i-adjective as it is sometimes used in Japanese conversations. In this blog post, however, I will explain it together with its major conjugations. And also, I will explain how to use them through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners use “nemui” more properly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
- Definition and meaning of “nemui”
- Nemukunai: the nai form of “nemui”
- Nemukatta: the ta form of “nemui”
- Nemukute: the te form of “nemui”
- Nemukereba: the ba form of “nemui”
- 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 very simple and clear, I think. Then, let me explain how to use this i-adjective through the example sentence below.
Example #1: how to say “sleepy” in Japanese
watashi wa nemui – 私は眠い (わたしはねむい)
I’m sleepy.
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 in the sentence.
This is a typical usage of “nemui”. When we want to say “sleepy” in Japanese, this i-adjective is always a very good option.
It’s also worth mentioning here that Japanese native speakers often omit the subject word in a sentence when they can understand it from the situation and context. So, they often say just “nemui” to mean “I’m sleepy” in Japanese.
So far, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “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”.
Nemukunai: the 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 parts, 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
watashi wa nemuku nai – 私は眠くない (わたしはねむくない)
I’m not sleepy.
This is a typical usage of “nemukunai”. When we want to say “not sleepy” in Japanese, this nai form is a very good option.
Nemukatta: the ta form of “nemui”
Below are the definition and meanings of “nemukatta”.
- nemukatta – 眠かった (ねむかった) : the ta form of “nemui”, meaning ‘was sleepy’, ‘were sleepy’, or such 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 parts, we can understand that “nemukatta” is literally the ta form of “nemui” and means ‘was sleepy’, ‘were sleepy’, or such in Japanese. Then, let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.
Example #3: how to say “was sleepy” in Japanese
watashi wa nemukatta – 私は眠かった (わたしはねむかった)
I was sleepy.
This is a typical usage of “nemukatta”. When we want to use the past tense form of “nemui”, this ta form is the best option.
Nemukute: the 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 parts, we can understand that “nemukute” is literally the te form of “nemui”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. So, “nemukute” is very useful when we want to use “nemui” in front of another adjective, a verb, or an auxiliary verb. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.
Example #4: how to say “sleepy and” in Japanese
watashi wa nemukute tsukare te iru – 私は眠くて疲れている (わたしはねむくてつかれている)
I’m sleepy and tired.
Below are the new words 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”. In the example, 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 its 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 just ‘to be tired’.
This is a typical usage of “nemukute”. In this example, it has the smooth connection with “tsukare te iru”. When we want to use “nemui” in front of another adjective, a verb, or an auxiliary verb, its te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.
Nemukereba: the ba form of “nemui”
Lastly, let me explain the definition and meaning of “nemukereba”.
- nemukereba – 眠ければ (ねむければ) : the ba form of “nemui”, making a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘sleepy’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “nemukereba” consists of the following two parts:
- nemukere – 眠けれ (ねむけれ) : 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 parts, we can understand that “nemukereba” is literally the ba form of “nemui”. In Japanese, the ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “nemukereba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding 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
nemukereba ne te kudasai – 眠ければ寝てください (ねむければねてください)
If you are sleepy, please go to bed.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- ne – 寝 (ね) : one conjugation of the verb, “neru“, which means ‘to sleep’ 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”. 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) : one conjugation of the verb, “kudasaru”, which means ‘to give’ or such in Japanese. When this follows a verb, however, this can work like an auxiliary verb to add the meaning of ‘please’. In the example, this works like an auxiliary verb after “ne te” to add the meaning of ‘please’.
This is a typical usage of “nemukereba”. In this example, it works as the conditional clause which means ‘if you are sleepy’ in Japanese. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘sleepy’ in Japanese, this ba form is a good option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “nemui” together with its major conjugations. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through 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’, ‘were sleepy’, or such in Japanese. 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. When we want to use “nemui” in front of another adjective, a verb, or an auxiliary verb, this te form is very useful to make 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 meaning ‘sleepy’ in Japanese.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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