目(め)を覚(さ)ます

めをさます
expression
to wake up; to come to one's senses
action
1. to wake up; to open one's eyes
To transition from sleep to wakefulness.
朝(あさ)6時(じ)に目(め)を覚(さ)ました。
I woke up at 6 in the morning.
物音(ものおと)で目(め)を覚(さ)ますことがある。
I sometimes wake up from a noise.
赤(あか)ちゃんが夜中(よなか)に何度(なんど)も目(め)を覚(さ)ますので寝不足(ねぶそく)だ。
The baby wakes up many times during the night, so I'm sleep-deprived.
2. to come to one's senses; to snap out of it
To realize the truth of a situation or abandon an illusion or misguided course of action.
いいかげん目(め)を覚(さ)ませ。
Come to your senses already.
友人(ゆうじん)の言葉(ことば)で目(め)を覚(さ)ました。
My friend's words made me come to my senses.
失敗(しっぱい)を経験(けいけん)してようやく目(め)を覚(さ)まし、自分(じぶん)の甘(あま)さに気(き)づいた。
After experiencing failure, I finally came to my senses and realized my own naiveté.

A common expression with both literal (waking up) and figurative (coming to one's senses) meanings. The verb 覚(さ)ます means "to awaken" (transitive), so 目(め)を覚(さ)ます literally means "to awaken one's eyes."

Common patterns

  • Intransitive use: 目(め)が覚(さ)める — to wake up (spontaneous; eyes open on their own)
  • Transitive use: 目(め)を覚(さ)ます — to wake (oneself) up / to awaken someone
  • Causative: 目(め)を覚(さ)まさせる — to make someone wake up / come to their senses
  • 朝(あさ)早(はや)く目(め)を覚(さ)ます — to wake up early in the morning
  • 〜で目(め)を覚(さ)ます — to wake up because of ~
  • いいかげん目(め)を覚(さ)ませ — snap out of it already (imperative)

Similar words

Related Words

Compare: 起(お)きる (to get up (more general)
Compare: 目覚(めざ)める (to awaken)
Compare: 我(われ)に返(かえ)る (to come to oneself (figurative only)
Compare: 目(め)が覚(さ)める (to wake up)
general
Added 2026.4.29 21:37 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
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