verb HSK 1
Traditional 睡覺
to sleep · to go to bed
Meaning
睡觉 is one of the most basic verbs in Mandarin, meaning to sleep or go to bed. It's a compound verb where 睡 means to sleep and 觉 refers to sleep or nap. This word is used in everyday conversation to describe the action of sleeping at night or taking a nap during the day.
Usage
Native speakers use 睡觉 for both nighttime sleep and daytime naps. It's commonly paired with time words like 早 (early), 晚 (late), or specific times. To say 'go to sleep,' Chinese speakers say 去睡觉. The word is neutral in register and appropriate for all contexts.
Examples
- 01我每天晚上十点睡觉。.I go to bed at 10 o'clock every night.
- 02你昨天睡觉了吗？?Did you sleep yesterday?
Characters
Common collocations
- 去睡觉to go to sleep
- 早点儿睡觉go to bed earlier
- 睡觉时间bedtime
- 好好睡觉sleep well
Antonyms
Origin
睡 originally depicted a person resting, while 觉 (覺) combines elements meaning 'to perceive' and evolved to mean sleep or awakening. Together they form the compound verb for sleeping.