godan verb (-ru), intransitive verb
sleep; go to sleep; fall asleep
General intransitive verb for sleeping or falling asleep. Compare 寝る, which focuses more on lying down or going to bed.
See also: 寝る
昨夜はよく眠れましたか。
Did you sleep well last night?
赤ちゃんがやっと眠った。
The baby finally fell asleep.
godan verb (-ru), intransitive verb
die; rest in peace; lie buried
Euphemistic or poetic use for death, often in phrases like 永遠に眠る (rest eternally) or 墓の下に眠る (lie buried under a grave).
彼は静かに永遠の眠りについた。
He quietly entered eternal sleep.
先祖がこの地に眠っている。
Our ancestors rest in this land.
godan verb (-ru), intransitive verb
lie idle; lie unused; lie dormant
Only with reading ねむる
Figurative use for resources, talents, or potential that remain unused. Restricted to the reading ねむる.
彼の才能はまだ眠っている。
His talent is still lying dormant.
使われずに眠っている資金がある。
There are funds lying idle without being used.
godan verb (-ru), intransitive verb
Archaic sense; in modern Japanese, 目を閉じる is the standard expression.
古語では「眠る」が「目を閉じる」の意味で使われた。
In classical language, 眠る was used to mean 'close one's eyes'.