Word
昼寝
Meaning in Englishnap (at home), siesta
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Sentence
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Word context
What it means
昼寝 means a nap taken during the day. For English speakers, it refers to a brief rest aimed at restoring alertness after lunch, often lasting around 20 to 40 minutes and practiced at home, work, or school depending on the setting.
Main meanings
- daytime rest to boost alertness
- often associated with after-lunch energy dips
- used as a noun and can appear in related phrases describing the act
How to use it
Used as a noun to denote the act of napping during daylight hours; in casual speech it appears frequently after lunch, while in formal contexts it is less common and may be described with different phrasing; the verb form 昼寝をする indicates performing the nap.
Variants and close terms
- 仮眠 (かみん, kamin) — broader term for nap
- 午睡 (ごすい, gosui) — daytime nap, more formal
Composition
- 昼: day, noon
- 寝: sleep
- 昼寝 as a compound means a nap during the day
Etymology
昼 noon + 寝 sleep, forming a native compound; the reading hirune.
Word class
noun (名詞)
Word
Related words by kanji and components
N1
寝かせる
nekaseru
to put to bed, to lay down, to ferment
N1
うたた寝
utatane
dozing, napping
N1
昼飯
hirumeshi
lunch (mid-day meal)
N2
朝寝坊
asanebou
oversleeping, late riser
N2
寝台
shindai
bed
N2
寝間着
nemaki
sleep-wear, pajamas
N2
寝巻
nemaki
sleep-wear, pajamas
N3
お昼
ohiru
lunch, noon
N3
昼食
chuushoku
lunch (same as 昼ご飯 (ひるごはん))
Kanji