休む vs 眠る
JLPT N5 vocabulary · what is the difference?
休む is resting, and above all taking a day off work or school: 今日は会社を休みます. 眠る is actually being asleep. You can 休む all day without sleeping at all, and taking a day off never uses 眠る.
When to use each
休む
やすむ
Use 休む for taking time off — school, work, a lesson — with を marking what you are absent from, and for pausing to rest. It says nothing about whether you sleep.
かぜをひいたので、今日は会社を休みます。
かぜをひいたので、きょうはかいしゃをやすみます。
I caught a cold, so I'm taking today off work.
疲れたので、少し休みましょう。
つかれたので、すこしやすみましょう。
I'm tired, so let's rest a little.
眠る
ねむる
Use 眠る for the state of being asleep and for how well you slept. It never takes を for a place you are absent from.
赤ちゃんはもう眠っています。
あかちゃんはもうねむっています。
The baby is already asleep.
昨日はよく眠れませんでした。
きのうはよくねむれませんでした。
I couldn't sleep well last night.
Sentences where only one works
熱があるので学校を休みました。
ねつがあるのでがっこうをやすみました。
I had a fever, so I was absent from school.
Absence from an institution — only 休む, and the institution takes を.
薬を飲んだら、よく眠れました。
くすりをのんだら、よくねむれました。
After taking the medicine I slept well.
The quality of sleep is 眠る. 休めました would mean you got some rest, not that you slept.
一日中家で休んでいましたが、あまり眠っていません。
いちにちじゅういえでやすんでいましたが、あまりねむっていません。
I rested at home all day, but I didn't sleep much.
The two come apart cleanly here: resting without sleeping is perfectly ordinary.
お先に休みます。
おさきにやすみます。
I'll turn in now.
休む does have a polite sense of retiring to bed, which is why the pair feels close — but it is a set, slightly formal expression.
Common mistakes
今日は会社を眠ります。
今日は会社を休みます。
眠る is about being asleep and cannot take a workplace or school with を. Taking a day off is always 休む.
少し眠りましょう。
少し休みましょう。
If you only mean a break — sitting down, stopping work — 眠る commits you to actually falling asleep.
Frequently asked questions
Can 休む mean sleep?
Only in the polite お休みなさい and in 休む used for retiring to bed, which is formal. For a plain statement that you sleep, use 寝る or 眠る.
How do I say I am taking a day off?
会社を休みます, or 休みを取ります with 取る. For paid leave the usual phrase is 有給を取る.
Is 休む used for a shop being closed?
Yes: 店は月曜日に休みます, and the noun 定休日 names the regular closing day.