noun
half asleep; not fully awake
Describes the groggy state when one is still drowsy or not yet fully alert, often right after waking up.
寝ぼけまなこで時計を見たら、まだ夜中の3時だった。
When I looked at the clock with half-asleep eyes, it was still 3 a.m.
朝は寝ぼけていて、歯ブラシに洗顔フォームをつけてしまった。
I was half asleep in the morning and accidentally put face wash on my toothbrush.
Verb form meaning 'to be half asleep' or 'to talk in one's sleep'; 寝ぼけ is the noun form derived from it.
Compound of 寝 (ne, 'sleep') and ぼけ (boke, 'dullness' or 'senility'), from the verb 寝ぼける (nebokeru).