目(め)が覚(さ)める

めがさめる
expression
to wake up; to awaken; to come to one's senses
daily-lifehealth
1. to wake up; to awaken
To transition from sleep to a waking state. An intransitive expression describing the natural process of waking up, as opposed to being woken by someone else.
朝(あさ)6時(じ)に目(め)が覚(さ)めた。
I woke up at 6 in the morning.
物音(ものおと)で目(め)が覚(さ)めてしまった。
I was woken up by a noise.
夜中(よなか)に何度(なんど)も目(め)が覚(さ)めて、よく眠(ねむ)れなかった。
I woke up many times during the night and couldn't sleep well.
2. to come to one's senses; to have one's eyes opened
To suddenly realize the truth of a situation, snap out of a delusion, or become aware of something one was previously blind to. Used figuratively for moments of realization or disillusionment.
あの失敗(しっぱい)で目(め)が覚(さ)めた。
That failure opened my eyes.
友人(ゆうじん)の一言(ひとこと)で目(め)が覚(さ)める思(おも)いだった。
My friend's single remark was a real wake-up call.
彼(かれ)はようやく目(め)が覚(さ)めて、自分(じぶん)の間違(まちが)いに気(き)づいた。
He finally came to his senses and realized his mistake.

An idiomatic expression built from 目(め) (eye) + が (subject marker) + 覚(さ)める (to awaken, to become alert). The verb 覚(さ)める is ichidan and intransitive — it describes a spontaneous change of state.

Sense 1 is the everyday meaning and one of the most common ways to say "to wake up" in Japanese. It focuses on the moment of awakening (eyes opening) rather than the act of getting out of bed.

Sense 2 extends the metaphor: just as physical eyes open from sleep, mental "eyes" open to reality. Often used when someone has been deceived, deluded, or obsessed, and finally sees things clearly.

Common collocations

  • 朝(あさ)目(め)が覚(さ)める: to wake up in the morning
  • 夜中(よなか)に目(め)が覚(さ)める: to wake up in the middle of the night
  • 目(め)が覚(さ)める思(おも)い: a feeling of having one's eyes opened; an eye-opening experience
  • 目(め)が覚(さ)めるような: eye-opening; strikingly vivid (e.g., of a color)

Similar words

  • 起(お)きる: to get up — covers both waking and getting out of bed; more general
  • 目(め)を覚(さ)ます: to wake up (transitive/volitional) — an active choice to wake, vs. the spontaneous 目(め)が覚(さ)める
  • 目覚(めざ)める: to awaken — a single-word literary synonym, also used figuratively for awakening to a new awareness or ability

Related Words

Compare: 起(お)きる (to get up)
Compare: 目(め)を覚(さ)ます (to wake up)
Compare: 目覚(めざ)める (to awaken)
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Added 2026.4.12 23:06 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
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