Word
昼寝
Meaning in Englishnap (at home), siesta
Animated kanji stroke order
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
N4
寝坊
nebou
oversleeping, sleeping late
N4
昼間
hiruma
daytime, during the day
N4
昼休み
hiruyasumi
lunch break, noon recess
N5
寝たほうがいい
neta hou ga ii
better to sleep
N5
寝る
neru
to sleep; to go to sleep; to go to bed
N5
昼御飯
hirugohan
lunch, midday meal
N5
寝る前に
neru mae ni
before sleeping
N5
昼ご飯
hirugohan
lunch
N5
昼ご飯を食べます
hirugohan o tabemasu
eat lunch
Kanji