うつらうつら

adverb, onomatopoeia

drowsily, half-asleep, dozing

1. drowsily, half-asleep, in a doze

A state of being on the verge of sleep, drifting in and out of consciousness, or nodding off. Describes the hazy zone between wakefulness and sleep.

うつらうつらしていた。

I was dozing off.

To doze on the train.

I ended up nodding off during the meeting.

I had a dream while half-asleep.

うつらうつら describes a drowsy state where one is not fully asleep but not fully awake either - the mind drifts in and out.

This state often occurs:

general

Added 2026.2.2 0:15 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01

09000/09455_utsurautsura