眠い

Pattern visualization

Examples

1. 会議中に眠くなった。▶ —
   I got sleepy during the meeting.
2. 眠いから早く寝ます。▶ —
   I'm sleepy, so I will sleep early.

Collocations

Mnemonic

Nemui (眠い) is the i-adjective "sleepy" — root 眠 from the verb nemuru (to fall asleep, more literary) + i-ending. Sleep cluster: neru (to sleep, everyday verb), nemuru (to fall asleep, literary), nemuke (drowsiness, noun), inemuri (nodding off — the unwanted drowse at meetings or class). On Japanese commuter trains, "tatta mama inemuri" (standing dozing) is a culture-coded phenomenon tied to long work hours and sleep deprivation. Watch nemui vs netai (want to sleep): nemui is the natural drowsy state, netai is volitional desire. Korean jolida / jago-sipda mirrors.

Quick check

1. Unwanted dozing at meetings or class?

   • Inemuri
   • Nemuke — drowsiness (noun)
   • Neru — to sleep (verb)
   • Nemui — sleepy (adjective)