Meaning and Usage
眠い (ねむい) means feeling sleepy or drowsy. It is commonly used to describe the physical state when someone wants to sleep or is struggling to stay awake.
Common Contexts
You will often hear 眠い in everyday situations like during class, work, or after staying up late. It expresses a natural bodily feeling and is informal but widely used.
Collocations and Patterns
- 眠い目をこする (ねむいめをこする): rub sleepy eyes, showing tiredness
- 眠いと感じる: to feel sleepy
- 眠いから寝る: because I’m sleepy, I will sleep
Usage Tips
When using 眠い, it usually implies a need or desire to sleep soon. It is a straightforward adjective and does not carry negative connotations. Avoid confusing 眠い with 寝たい (want to sleep), which expresses intention rather than feeling.
Register
This word is casual and suitable for daily conversation. It is not formal or literary.