Meaning
Dream, vision, illusion — describes images seen while sleeping, aspirations, or things that are unreal or fleeting.
- 夢 — dream
- 悪夢 — nightmare
- 夢中 — being absorbed in, daze
- 夢想 — fantasy, daydream
- 夢見 — dreaming, seeing a dream
- 夢幻 — dreamlike, illusion
The top of the kanji 夢 suggests someone sleeping under a roof, while the bottom includes 夕 (evening). This reflects the idea of dreams occurring at night. It also conveys the ephemeral nature of dreams and illusions.
こどもの頃の夢は 宇宙飛行士になることでした。
My childhood dream was to become an astronaut.
昨夜は 変な 夢を見ました。
I had a strange dream last night.
The on-yomi ム (mu) and ボウ (bou) are used in compound words like 夢想 or 夢幻. The kun-yomi ゆめ is used in standalone and native expressions such as 夢を見る or 夢がかなう.