覚める (さめる, sameru) Japanese meaning: wake up | Kotomora

覚さめる

さ

め

る

Common wordJLPTN3Freq.FrequencyTop 5,000

覚める · ichidan verb

Form	Positive	Negative
Dictionary	覚さめる	覚さめない
Polite	覚さめます	覚さめません
Past polite	覚さめました	覚さめませんでした
Past	覚さめた	覚さめなかった
Te-form	覚さめて	覚さめないで
Desire	覚さめたい	覚さめたくない
Potential	覚さめられるalso 覚さめれる	覚さめられないalso 覚さめれない
Passive	覚さめられる	覚さめられない
Causative	覚さめさせる	覚さめさせない
Causative passive	覚さめさせられる	覚さめさせられない
Volitional	覚さめよう
Polite volitional	覚さめましょう
Imperative	覚さめろ	覚さめるな
Conditional	覚さめれば	覚さめなければ
Tara conditional	覚さめたら	覚さめなかったら

Pairs with覚ます

Meanings

ichidan verb, intransitive verb

wake up; awaken

Literal waking from sleep; intransitive. The transitive counterpart is 覚ます (さます).

朝あさ、目めが覚さめると外そとは雪ゆきだった

Kanji

覚memorize, learn, remember
醒awake, be disillusioned, sober up

Transitive / intransitive

覚さますN3
覚ます is the transitive verb for waking someone or sobering someone up, while 覚める is intransitive and describes the state of waking up oneself.

Related words

目め覚ざめるN1sense 1
目覚める is a slightly more literary or emphatic word for waking up (often used figuratively for awakening to a realization), while 覚める is the plain, everyday verb.
目めが覚さめる
覚める is the bare verb for becoming aware or sober (of sleep, intoxication, or a trance), whereas 目が覚める specifically frames it as one's eyes opening from sleep or a daze.

Opposites

眠ねむるN4sense 1
眠る means 'to sleep', the direct opposite of 覚める 'to wake up' from sleep.
酔ようN4sense 2
酔う means 'to become drunk/intoxicated', the opposite state to 覚める 'to sober up' as the effects of alcohol wear off.
酔よっ払ぱらうN3
醒める means to sober up or wake from intoxication, the opposite process of 酔っ払う, which means to become drunk.

Don't confuse with· 5

起おきるN5sense 1
起きる means 'to get up' physically out of bed, while 覚める refers only to the mental state of becoming conscious, so one can 覚める without 起きる.
目め覚ざめるN1
覚める is the simpler verb for waking up or becoming sober, and it shares kanji with 目覚める, which implies a more significant or figurative awakening.
冷さめるN3
覚める means to wake up from sleep or a dream, while 冷める means to cool down or lose warmth/enthusiasm—same reading, different kanji and meaning.

Word family

目め覚ざめるN1
wake up; awake · awaken to; become aware of; realize · come to one's senses; regain consciousness
寝ね覚ざめ
waking up; awakening
目め覚ざめ
waking; awakening
覚さめ際ぎわ
on the verge of waking; half-awake moment

Written forms

覚さめるUsage74%
Standard kanji for waking from sleep and for figurative awakening; high priority.
醒さめるUsage18%
Often used for sobering up, regaining consciousness, or disillusionment; less common for literal waking from sleep.
さめるUsage8%
Kana spelling is common in everyday writing, especially when the intended kanji nuance is not important.

Etymology

Derived from classical verb 覚む (samu), with the intransitive sense 'to wake'. The kanji 覚 carries meanings of 'remember, perceive, awaken', while 醒 is associated with 'sober up, disillusion'.

覚さめる

Meanings

Usage patterns

Expressions