What does “neru” mean in Japanese?
There is a homophone, but native speakers say “neru” normally to mean ‘to go to bed’ or ‘to sleep’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this verb as it is often used in Japanese conversations. In this blog post, however, I will explain this verb with its major conjugations. And also, I will explain how to use them through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand “neru” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
- Definition and meanings of “neru”
- Nenai: the nai form of “neru”
- Neyou: the volitional form of “neru”
- Nemasu: the masu form of “neru”
- Neta: the ta form of “neru”
- Nete: the te form of “neru”
- Nereba: the ba form of “neru”
- Summary
Definition and meanings of “neru”
Let me start with the definition and meanings of “neru”.
- neru – 寝る (ねる) : a verb meaning ‘to go to bed’ or ‘to sleep’ in Japanese.
The definition and meanings are simple and clear, I think. Then, let me explain how to use this verb through the example sentence below.
Example #1: how to say “sleep” in Japanese
boku wa itsumo futon de neru – 僕はいつも布団で寝る (ぼくはいつもふとんでねる)
I always sleep in futon.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “boku” to make the subject in the sentence.
- itsumo – いつも : an adverb of frequency meaning ‘always’ in Japanese.
- futon – 布団 (ふとん) : a noun meaning ‘futon’ in Japanese.
- de – で : a case particle used to say where someone does something. In the example, this is used after “futon” to say where the speaker always sleeps.
This is a typical usage of “neru”. In the example, it works together with the case particle, “de”, to say where the speaker sleeps. This usage is worth knowing, I think. When we want to mean ‘to sleep’ in Japanese, anyway, this verb is a very good option.
So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “neru” 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 “nenai”.
Nenai: the nai form of “neru”
Below are the definition and meanings of “nenai”.
- nenai – 寝ない (ねない) : the nai form of “neru”, which means ‘not to go to bed’ or ‘not to sleep’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “nenai” consists of the following two parts:
- ne – 寝 (ね) : one conjugation of “neru”. This can have a smooth connection with “naru”.
- 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 very similar to that of “not”.
From these two parts, we can understand that “nenai” is literally the nai form of “neru” and means ‘not to go to bed’ or ‘not to sleep’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this nai form through the example sentence below.
Example #2: how to say “not to sleep” in Japanese
watashi no kodomo wa hiruma ni nenai – 私の子供は昼間に寝ない (わたしのこどもたちはひるまにねない)
My kids don’t sleep during the day.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
- 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.
- kodomo – 子供 (こども) : a noun meaning ‘child’ or ‘kid’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
- hiruma – 昼間 (ひるま) : a noun meaning ‘daytime’ or ‘day’ in Japanese.
- ni – に : a case particle used to say when someone does something. In the example, this is used after “hiruma” to say when the kids don’t sleep.
This is a typical usage of “nenai”. In the example, it works together with the case particle, “ni”, to say when the kids don’t sleep. This usage is worth knowing, I think. When we want to mean ‘not to sleep’ in Japanese, anyway, this nai form is a good option.
Neyou: the volitional form of “neru”
Below are the definition and meanings of “neyou”.
- neyou – 寝よう (ねよう) : the volitional form of “neru”, which expresses volition to go to bed or sleep.
Grammatically, “neyou” consists of the following two parts:
- neyo – 寝よ (ねよ) : one conjugation of “neru”. This can have a smooth connection with “u”.
- u – う : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make its volitional form.
From these two parts, we can understand that “neyou” is literally the volitional form of “neru” and expresses volition to go to bed or sleep. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #3: how to say “let’s go to bed” in Japanese
neyou – 寝よう (ねよう)
Let’s go to bed!
This is a typical usage of “neyou”. In this example, it works alone to make the suggestion. Native speakers often use this volitional form like this, so this example is worth knowing.
Nemasu: the masu form of “neru”
Below are the definition and meanings of “nemasu”.
- nemasu – 寝ます (ねます) : the masu form of “neru”, which means ‘to go to bed’ or ‘to sleep’ politely in Japanese.
Grammatically, “nemasu” consists of the following two parts:
- ne – 寝 (ね) : one conjugation of “neru”. This can have a smooth connection with “masu”.
- masu – ます : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese masu form.
From these two parts, we can understand that “nemasu” is literally the masu form of “neru” and means ‘to go to bed’ or ‘to sleep’ politely in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentence below.
Example #4: how to say “sleep” politely in Japanese
tokidoki boku wa hachi ji ni nemasu – 時々僕は八時に寝ます (ときどきぼくははちじにねます)
Sometimes I go to bed at eight o’clock.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- tokidoki – 時々 (ときどき) : an adverb of frequency meaning ‘sometimes’ in Japanese.
- hachi – 八 (はち) : a numeral meaning ‘eight’ in Japanese.
- ji – 時 (じ) : a suffix used after a numeral to say “o’clock” in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “nemasu”. Its politeness has not been reflected in the English sentence, but the Japanese sentence sounds polite thanks to the masu form. When we want to say “go to bed” or “sleep” politely in Japanese, this form is a very good option.
Neta: the ta form of “neru”
Below are the definition and meanings of “neta”.
- neta – 寝た (ねた) : the ta form of “neru”, which means ‘went to bed’ or ‘slept’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “neta” consists of the following two parts:
- ne – 寝 (ね) : one conjugation of “neru”. This can have a smooth connection with “ta”.
- 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.
From these two parts, we can understand that “neta” is literally the ta form of “neru” and means ‘went to bed’ or ‘slept’ in Japanese. Let me explain how to use it through the example sentence below.
Example #5: how to say “slept” in Japanese
boku wa kinou takusan neta – 僕は昨日たくさん寝た (ぼくはきのうたくさんねた)
I slept a lot yesterday.
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 to say “yesterday” in Japanese.
- takusan – たくさん : an adverb of degree meaning ‘much’, ‘a lot’, or such in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “neta”. When we want to say “slept” or “went to bed” in Japanese, this ta form is a good option.
Nete: the te form of “neru”
Below are the definition and meanings of “nete”.
- nete – 寝て (ねて) : the te form of “neru”, which means ‘to go to bed’ or ‘to sleep’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “nete” consists of the following two parts:
- ne – 寝 (ね) : one conjugation of “neru”. 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 “nete” is literally the te form of “neru”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. So, “nete” is very useful when we want to use “neru” in front of another verb, an adjective, or an auxiliary verb. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.
Example #6: how to say “go to bed and” in Japanese
boku wa mainichi onaji jikan ni nete okiru – 僕は毎日同じ時間に寝て起きる (ぼくはまいにちおなじじかんにねておきる)
I go to bed and get up every day at the same time.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- mainichi – 毎日 (まいにち) : an adverb meaning ‘every day’ in Japanese.
- onaji – 同じ (おなじ) : one conjugation of the na-adjective, “onajina”, which means ‘same’ in Japanese.
- jikan – 時間 (じかん) : a noun meaning ‘time’ in Japanese.
- okiru – 起きる (おきる) : a verb meaning ‘to get up’ or such in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “nete”. In this example, it has the smooth connection with “okiru”. When we want to use “neru” in front of another verb, its te form is very useful.
Nereba: the ba form of “neru”
Below are the definition and meanings of “nereba”.
- nereba – 寝れば (ねれば) : the ba form of “neru”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘to go to bed’ or ‘to sleep’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “nereba” consists of the following two parts:
- nere – 寝れ (ねれ) : one conjugation of “neru”. 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 “nereba” is literally the ba form of “neru”. In Japanese, ba-formed words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “nereba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to go to bed’ or ‘to sleep’ in Japanese. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.
Example #7: how to say “if sleep” in Japanese
takusan nereba, watashi tachi wa sukoshi tsukare wo kanjiru – たくさん寝れば、私達は少し疲れを感じる (たくさんねれば、わたしたちはすこしつかれをかんじる)
If we sleep a lot, we feel a bit tired.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- tachi – 達 (たち) : a suffix used after a noun or pronoun to make its plural form. In the example, this is used after “watashi” to make its plural form, “watachi tachi”, which means ‘we’ in Japanese.
- sukoshi – 少し (すこし) : an adverb of degree meaning ‘a bit’ or such in Japanese.
- tsukare – 疲れ (つかれ) : a noun meaning ‘tiredness’ or ‘fatigue’ in Japanese.
- wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “tsukare” to make the object in the sentence.
- kanjiru – 感じる (かんじる) : a verb meaning ‘to feel’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “nereba”. In this example, it works as a part of the conditional clause, “takusan nereba”, which means ‘if we sleep a lot’ in Japanese. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to sleep’ or ‘to go to bed’, this ba form is a good option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained “neru” and its major conjugations. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- neru – 寝る (ねる) : a verb meaning ‘to go to bed’ or ‘to sleep’ in Japanese.
- nenai – 寝ない (ねない) : the nai form of “neru”, which means ‘not to go to bed’ or ‘not to sleep’ in Japanese.
- neyou – 寝よう (ねよう) : the volitional form of “neru”, which expresses volition to go to bed or sleep.
- nemasu – 寝ます (ねます) : the masu form of “neru”, which means ‘to go to bed’ or ‘to sleep’ politely in Japanese.
- neta – 寝た (ねた) : the ta form of “neru”, which means ‘went to bed’ or ‘slept’ in Japanese.
- nete – 寝て (ねて) : the te form of “neru”, which means ‘to go to bed’ or ‘to sleep’ in Japanese.
- nereba – 寝れば (ねれば) : the ba form of “neru”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘to go to bed’ or ‘to sleep’ in Japanese.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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