awake, be disillusioned, sober up

About this kanji

The kanji 「醒」 primarily means to be awake or to sober up from a state of sleep or intoxication. It is typically used as a verb, with its kun'yomi readings of さ.ます (to wake someone up) and さ.める (to wake up or regain sobriety). Some common compounds include 覚醒剤 (かくせいざい), which refers to stimulants like certain drugs; 覚醒 (かくせい), meaning the act of waking up; and 警醒 (けいせい), which means a warning or alert. A note on usage is that while this kanji is often associated with literal waking, it can also imply a figurative awakening, like an epiphany or realization.

Example sentences

• 彼女は急に醒めた表情をした。

  She suddenly had a waking expression.

Meanings across languages

English

awake, be disillusioned, sober up

Tiếng Việt

tỉnh

日本語

醒

한국어

깨다

中文

醒

id

terjaga, menyadari, sadar

th

ตื่น, รู้ตัว, คืนสติ

es

despertado, desilusionado, despertarse

fr

éveillé, désillusionné, sobre

de

wach, desillusioniert, nüchtern

pt

acordado, desiludido, sóbrio

Common compounds

• 覚醒剤かくせいざいstimulant (e.g. psychoactive drugs like methamphetamine, ritalin, etc.)
• 覚醒かくせいwaking up, awakening, arousal
• 警醒けいせいwarning
• 醒覚せいかくawakening, waking up, opening one's eyes
• 大覚醒だいかくせいGreat Awakening (18th century American Christian revival movement)
• 過覚醒かかくせいhyperarousal (symptom of PTSD)
• 半睡半醒はんすいはんせいhalf asleep and half awake
• 半醒半睡はんせいはんすいhalf awake and half asleep