1.
a high pillow
A tall, raised pillow. The literal meaning, much less common in everyday speech than the idiomatic use.
高枕を使う。
To use a high pillow.
昔は高枕が一般的だった。
High pillows used to be common in the old days.
祖父は今でも高枕でないと眠れない。
My grandfather still can't sleep without a high pillow.
2.
sleeping in peace; resting easy; freedom from worry
An idiom meaning to sleep soundly and without anxiety, by extension to be free of worry. Used especially in the expression 高枕で寝る/眠る.
高枕で寝られる。
I can sleep without worry.
仕事が終わって、やっと高枕で眠れる。
Now that work is done, I can finally sleep easy.
借金を返し終わるまでは、とても高枕で眠れない。
Until I finish paying off the debt, I can hardly sleep in peace.
Literally "high pillow." The idiomatic sense comes from the historical idea that one can only afford a comfortable, raised pillow when one has nothing to fear or be vigilant about.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 高枕で寝る: to sleep without worry
- 高枕で眠る: to sleep soundly
- 高枕をかく: to rest easy, take it easy (set phrase)
USAGE:
The figurative sense is far more common in modern Japanese. Often appears in negative form (高枕では寝られない) to express ongoing anxiety.
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 安眠: peaceful sleep — focuses on sleep quality itself
- 枕を高くして寝る: to sleep with the pillow high — same idiom expanded out, common phrasing