Japanese word

うたた寝

Pronunciation

Romajiutatane

Meaning

  • nounnap

Example

昼休みにうたた寝をしました。hiru yasu mi ni u ta ta ne o shi ma shi ta

I took a nap during my lunch break.

Illustration for うたた寝 (nap)

More examples

本を読んでいるうちに、うたた寝をしてしまいました。hon o yo n de i ru u chi ni u ta ta ne o shi te shi ma i ma shi ta

I dozed off while reading a book.

Core concept

Describes brief sleep that happens almost unintentionally, often while a person is still in the middle of another activity.

Common phrases

  • うたた寝をするu ta ta ne o su ru

    take a nap

  • うたた寝から覚めるu ta ta ne ka ra sa me ru

    wake from a nap

Similar words

居眠りinemuri: Brief sleep that occurs unintentionally while sitting or engaged in another activity.
昼寝hirune: A period of sleep taken during the daytime, usually as a planned rest.
仮眠kamin: A short period of sleep taken to rest or recover, often according to a plan.

Definition in Japanese

短い時間、意図せず眠ること。mijika i ji kan i to se zu nemu ru ko to

Word origin

The noun うたた寝 (utatane) combines うたた (utata, "slightly or unintentionally") with 寝 (ne, "sleep"), forming a word for a brief doze.

Usage tips

  • The noun うたた寝 (utatane) is often followed by する (suru) when it is used as an action, as in ordinary descriptions of sleeping briefly.

Other meanings

  • dozenoun
  • snoozenoun

Related words

  • うたた寝するutatanesurudozeverb

Word lists with this word