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半睡半醒 (はんすいはんせい) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

半はん睡すい半はん醒せい

は

ん

す

い

は

ん

せ

い

Meanings

1

half asleep and half awake

yojijukugo (four-character idiom)›

A yojijukugo describing a state between sleep and wakefulness, often used in literary or formal contexts.

彼かれは半はん睡すい半はん醒せいの状じょう態

たい

で

、

夢ゆめ

と

現げん

実じつ

の

区く

別べつ

が

つか

なかっ

た

。

He was in a half-asleep, half-awake state and couldn't tell dream from reality.

Kanji

半half, middle, odd number
睡drowsy, sleep, die
醒awake, be disillusioned, sober up

Related words

夢ゆめうつつ
夢うつつ also means a state between dream and reality, but is more common and less formal than 半睡半醒.
寝ねぼける
寝ぼける is a verb meaning to be half-asleep or drowsy, often used for someone who is not fully awake, while 半睡半醒 is a noun describing the state itself.

Etymology

A yojijukugo composed of 半 (half), 睡 (sleep), 半 (half), and 醒 (awake). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but it follows a common four-character pattern for describing states.