Meaning and Usage
眠たい (ねむたい) is an adjective used to express the feeling of being sleepy or drowsy. It is commonly used in casual and everyday conversation to describe the state of wanting to sleep or feeling tired enough to doze off.
Common Contexts
You will often hear 眠たい when someone is describing their physical state, especially when they are struggling to stay awake during the day, such as in class, at work, or after waking up early.
Collocations and Patterns
- 眠たい目 (ねむため): sleepy eyes, often used when rubbing or blinking due to tiredness.
- 眠たいので (ねむたいので): because I am sleepy, used to explain a reason.
- 眠たい顔 (ねむたいかお): a sleepy face, describing someone's appearance.
Register and Nuance
眠たい is informal and suitable for everyday conversation. It is not typically used in very formal writing or speech. It conveys a natural, relatable feeling of sleepiness.
Common Mistakes
Learners sometimes confuse 眠たい with 眠い (ねむい), which also means sleepy. 眠たい often emphasizes the physical sensation of sleepiness more strongly and is slightly more colloquial. Both are correct, but 眠たい can sound a bit more casual or expressive.