Japanese Word of the Day
起きる
o-KI-ru • verb (intransitive, ru-verb) — 5th of Jul, 2026
Listen to pronunciation
Meaning: to wake up; to get up; to occur (an event)
Examples
- 毎朝七時に起きます。
(I wake up at 7 o'clock every morning.) - 地震で夜中に起きた。
(I woke up in the middle of the night because of the earthquake.) - 起きてください、もう朝ですよ。
(Please wake up; it's already morning.)
Synonyms
Click a synonym to see how it compares to 起きる.
起きる is commonly used to say someone wakes up or gets out of bed. It's an intransitive ru-verb (you do not use a direct object). Note it also means "to occur" for events (e.g., 事故が起きた = an accident occurred). The transitive counterpart "to wake someone" is 起こす, and 目が覚める emphasizes the eyes opening or becoming awake.
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