When you're learning Japanese at an A2 level, understanding verbs like 「起きる」 (okiru) is essential. It means "to wake up" or "to get up." You'll use this verb frequently when talking about daily routines.
For example, you might say 「毎朝7時に起きます」 (Maiasa shichi-ji ni okimasu), which means "I wake up at 7 AM every morning." Or, if you want to say "I got up late," you can use the past tense: 「遅く起きました」 (Osoku okimashita).
Remember that 「起きる」 can refer to both the act of waking from sleep and the act of getting out of bed. Pay attention to the context to understand which meaning is intended.
This verb is a fundamental part of describing your day, so practice using it in different sentences. Mastering verbs like this will significantly improve your ability to communicate in Japanese.
When using the verb「起きる」(okiru), it's important to understand its nuances. While it often means "to wake up" or "to get up" from sleep, it can also refer to something "occurring" or "happening." For instance, a natural disaster can「起きる」.
When talking about a person, you might say「私は毎日7時に起きる」(Watashi wa mainichi shichiji ni okiru) meaning "I wake up/get up at 7 AM every day." If you're discussing an event, you could say 「問題が起きた」(Mondai ga okita), which translates to "A problem occurred."
Difficulty Rating
Common kanji, simple reading.
Common kanji, relatively simple strokes.
Regular verb conjugation, easy to pronounce.
Clear pronunciation, distinct sound.
What to Learn Next
Prerequisites
Learn Next
Advanced
Examples by Level
私は朝早く起きます。
I wake up early in the morning.
The particle 'は' (wa) marks the topic of the sentence. 'に' (ni) can indicate a specific time.
毎日午前7時に起きます。
I get up at 7 AM every day.
'毎日' (mainichi) means 'every day'. '午前' (gozen) means 'AM'.
彼はいつも遅く起きます。
He always wakes up late.
'いつも' (itsumo) means 'always'. '遅く' (osoku) is the adverbial form of '遅い' (osoi - late).
子供はまだ起きていません。
The child has not woken up yet.
'-ていません' (-te imasen) indicates a state of not having done something yet.
何時に起きましたか？
What time did you wake up?
'何時' (nanji) means 'what time'. 'ましたか' (mashita ka) is the past tense question form.
週末はゆっくり起きます。
On weekends, I wake up late/relaxedly.
'週末' (shūmatsu) means 'weekend'. 'ゆっくり' (yukkuri) means 'slowly' or 'at ease'.
私は朝食前に起きます。
I wake up before breakfast.
'朝食' (chōshoku) means 'breakfast'. '前に' (mae ni) means 'before'.
早く起きるのが好きです。
I like to wake up early.
Verb + 'のが好きです' (no ga suki desu) means 'I like to do (verb)'.
Common Collocations
Common Phrases
毎日六時に起きます。
I wake up at 6 AM every day.
昨日の朝、早く起きました。
I woke up early yesterday morning.
週末はたいてい遅く起きます。
On weekends, I usually wake up late.
目覚まし時計で起きることができませんでした。
I couldn't wake up to my alarm clock.
朝、なかなかベッドから起きられない。
It's hard to get out of bed in the morning.
今日は自然に目が覚めました。
I woke up naturally today.
彼はぐっすり眠って、気持ちよく起きた。
He slept soundly and woke up feeling good.
もう起きる時間だよ。
It's time to get up.
彼女はいつも一番に起きる。
She always wakes up first.
朝早く起きるのは苦手です。
I'm not good at waking up early in the morning.
Word Family
Nouns
Verbs
Tips
Basic Meaning of Okiru
The most common uses of 起きる (okiru) are 'to wake up' from sleep and 'to get up' from a bed or a sitting position. It's a fundamental verb for daily routines.
Transitive vs. Intransitive
起きる (okiru) is an intransitive verb, meaning it doesn't take a direct object. You don't 'wake something up' with it. For 'to wake someone up,' you would use 起こす (okosu).
Polite Forms
The polite ます (masu) form is 起きます (okimasu). The past polite form is 起きました (okimashita). For example, 'I woke up' would be 私は起きました (watashi wa okimashita).
Use with Time
You can specify when you wake up or get up by adding a time and the particle に (ni). For example, 'I wake up at 7 o'clock' is 7時に起きます (shichi-ji ni okimasu). 'At 7 o'clock' is 7時に.
Daily Routine Context
起きる is frequently used when talking about your daily routine. It's often the first verb in a sequence of morning activities: 起きる (okiru) → 顔を洗う (kao o arau - wash face) → 朝ごはんを食べる (asagohan o taberu - eat breakfast).
Beyond Sleep
While primarily about waking/getting up, 起きる can also mean 'to happen' or 'to occur' (e.g., an incident). However, for A2, focus on the 'wake up/get up' meaning first. The 'happen' meaning is more advanced.
Common Phrases
Try to use it in simple phrases. For example, '毎朝6時に起きます。' (Maiasa roku-ji ni okimasu.) means 'I wake up at 6 AM every morning.' Or '早く起きましょう！' (Hayaku okimashou!) means 'Let's get up early!'
Paired with 寝る (Neru)
起きる (okiru) is the opposite of 寝る (neru), 'to sleep' or 'to go to bed.' Learning these two together helps reinforce their meanings and usage in daily routines.
Don't confuse with 起こす (Okosu)
Remember, 起きる is 'to wake up' (intransitive), while 起こす (okosu) is 'to wake someone up' (transitive). For example, 'I woke up' is 起きた, but 'I woke my child up' is 子供を起こした (kodomo o okoshita).
Practice with Sentences
The best way to learn is by creating your own simple sentences. Try describing your morning routine using 起きる. For instance: '私は毎日7時に起きます。' (Watashi wa mainichi shichi-ji ni okimasu.) - 'I get up at 7 o'clock every day.'
Test Yourself 42 questions
Write a short sentence about waking up in the morning using 「起きる」.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
私は朝早く起きます。
Translate: "I wake up at 7 o'clock." using 「起きる」.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
私は七時に起きます。
Write a sentence asking someone what time they wake up using 「起きる」.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
あなたは何時に起きますか。
田中さんは何時に起きますか。
Read this passage:
田中さんは毎日六時に起きます。そして、朝ごはんを食べます。
田中さんは何時に起きますか。
The passage states 「田中さんは毎日六時に起きます。」which means 'Mr. Tanaka wakes up at 6 o'clock every day.'
The passage states 「田中さんは毎日六時に起きます。」which means 'Mr. Tanaka wakes up at 6 o'clock every day.'
Which day does the speaker wake up early?
Read this passage:
私は日曜日によく遅く起きます。でも、月曜日は早く起きます。
Which day does the speaker wake up early?
The passage says 「月曜日は早く起きます」 which means 'I wake up early on Monday.'
The passage says 「月曜日は早く起きます」 which means 'I wake up early on Monday.'
Who wakes up the child?
Read this passage:
子供は朝、なかなか起きません。お母さんが起こします。
Who wakes up the child?
The passage says 「お母さんが起こします」 which means 'The mother wakes them up.'
The passage says 「お母さんが起こします」 which means 'The mother wakes them up.'
毎朝6時に___。
The sentence means 'I wake up at 6 AM every morning.' '起きます' (okimasu) means 'to wake up' or 'to get up'.
休みの日は遅くまで___。
The sentence means 'On holidays, I don't get up until late.' '起きません' (okimasen) is the negative form of 'to get up'.
あなたはいつも何時に___か？
The question means 'What time do you always wake up?' '起きます' (okimasu) is the appropriate verb here.
昨日、朝早く___。
The sentence means 'Yesterday, I woke up early in the morning.' '起きました' (okimashita) is the past tense of 'to wake up'.
子供たちはまだ___いません。
The sentence means 'The children haven't woken up yet.' '起きていません' (okiteimasen) is the negative present progressive form of 'to wake up'.
毎朝鳥の鳴き声で___。
The sentence means 'I wake up every morning to the sound of birds chirping.' '起きます' (okimasu) means 'to wake up'.
Choose the most appropriate word to complete the sentence: 毎朝、鳥の鳴き声で自然と私は___。
The sentence talks about waking up to birdsong every morning, so '起きます' (wake up) is the correct verb.
Choose the most appropriate word to complete the sentence: 目覚まし時計が鳴っても、彼はなかなかベッドから___なかった。
The sentence describes someone having difficulty getting out of bed even after the alarm rang, so '起きなかった' (didn't get up) is the correct past negative form.
Select the sentence where '起きる' is used correctly:
'起きる' means 'to wake up' or 'to get up'. Only the first option uses it correctly in this context.
「毎朝、私はコーヒーを起きる。」という文は正しい。
'起きる' is used for waking up or getting up, not for drinking coffee. The correct verb would be '飲む' (to drink).
「週末はいつも遅くまで起きている。」という文は、週末は遅くまで寝ているという意味である。
「遅くまで起きている」means 'to be awake until late', not 'to sleep until late'.
「明日は早く起きなければならない。」という文は、「明日は早く起きる必要がある」という意味である。
「〜なければならない」 expresses necessity, meaning 'must' or 'have to'. So, '明日は早く起きなければならない' means 'I have to wake up early tomorrow'.
Listen for how the speaker naturally wakes up before their alarm.
Listen for why it was hard to wake up this morning.
Listen for what the speaker enjoys doing on weekends regarding waking up.
Read this aloud:
あなたは普段何時に起きますか？
Focus: 何時に (nanji ni)
You said:
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Read this aloud:
明日早く起きる必要があります。
Focus: 必要 (hitsuyou)
You said:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
休日はゆっくり起きるのが好きです。
Focus: ゆっくり (yukkuri)
You said:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
The speaker is talking about their morning routine.
Something has caused a delay in a project.
A past event had a significant impact on someone's life.
Read this aloud:
朝早く起きるのが苦手なあなたでも、早起きは三文の徳と言いますから、試してみてはいかがですか？
Focus: は、にがてな、さんもんのとく
You said:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
もし何か問題が起きたら、すぐに私に連絡してください。対処法を一緒に考えましょう。
Focus: なにか、おきたら、たいしょほう
You said:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
歴史を振り返ると、文明の発展には常に何らかの大きな転換期が起きています。
Focus: ふりかえると、ぶんめい、てんかんき
You said:
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This sentence structure (subject + ga + object + ni + verb in past tense + toki, + result) is common for expressing a realization followed by a consequence. '彼が' (He) is the subject, '事件の真相に' (the truth of the incident) is the indirect object of '気づいた' (realized), and '時' (when) introduces the temporal clause. '手遅れだった' (it was too late) is the consequence.
The phrase '世界で何が起きているか' (what is happening in the world) acts as a noun clause, followed by '常に' (always) and '関心を持つべきだ' (should have interest). This construction expresses an obligation or strong recommendation.
Here, '予期せぬ問題が起きても' (even if unexpected problems arise) uses the -ても form to express a conditional concession. '冷静に' (calmly) modifies '対処する必要がある' (it is necessary to deal with).
What wakes me up every morning?
What is his habit regarding waking up?
What does she try to do to avoid being late?
Read this aloud:
今日はいつもより早く起きて、ジョギングに行きました。
Focus: 早く起きて (hayaku okite)
You said:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
休日はたいてい、お昼近くまで起きないでいます。
Focus: 起きないでいます (okinai de imasu)
You said:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
明日は大事な会議があるので、必ず定時に起きます。
Focus: 定時に起きます (teiji ni okimasu)
You said:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
/ 42 correct
Perfect score!
Basic Meaning of Okiru
The most common uses of 起きる (okiru) are 'to wake up' from sleep and 'to get up' from a bed or a sitting position. It's a fundamental verb for daily routines.
Transitive vs. Intransitive
起きる (okiru) is an intransitive verb, meaning it doesn't take a direct object. You don't 'wake something up' with it. For 'to wake someone up,' you would use 起こす (okosu).
Polite Forms
The polite ます (masu) form is 起きます (okimasu). The past polite form is 起きました (okimashita). For example, 'I woke up' would be 私は起きました (watashi wa okimashita).
Use with Time
You can specify when you wake up or get up by adding a time and the particle に (ni). For example, 'I wake up at 7 o'clock' is 7時に起きます (shichi-ji ni okimasu). 'At 7 o'clock' is 7時に.
Example
毎朝6時に起きます。
Related Content
This Word in Other Languages
More daily_life words
もう少し
B1A little more.
じゅうしょ
A2The particulars of the place where someone lives.
住所
A2address, residence
～後
A2after
目覚まし
B1Alarm clock. A clock that makes a noise to wake someone up.
目覚まし時計
B1An alarm clock.
ひとりで
A2Alone.
~のに
B1Even though; despite (particle/conjunction).
ごぜん
A2Morning (a.m.).
煩い
B1Noisy; annoying.
