When to use 良い夢を

[kokoro16]

Hello

I know that おやすみなさい。良い夢を means "goodnight. sweet dreams!"

I also know that 良い夢を is not something regularly used in Japanese. Right? Is this a normal thing for a man to write to a female friend? Or does it sound more intimate?

How would you respond?

Thanks

 

[Toritoribe]

It totally depends on the situation where it's used; oral conversation or written words, the relation between the two, the characteristics of the speaker/writer, etc.

 

[mdchachi]

I don't think it's particularly intimate. And the person you're writing to would probably understand that it's a phrase in English that you've simply translated into Japanese. In other words, it shouldn't change the nature of the relationship between the two of you one way or another. I think the heart emoji will have the most to do with the tone of it. You should decide whether to use it or not.

 

[kokoro16]

Just to make things more clear. The person who wrote that is a Japanese man. He wrote it to me and I am not Japanese.
It's a new friendship between a man and a woman. So I'd same our "social status" is the same. Both adults and not work-related.

 

[Lothor]

Just to make things more clear. The person who wrote that is a Japanese man. He wrote it to me and I am not Japanese.
It's a new friendship between a man and a woman. So I'd same our "social status" is the same. Both adults and not work-related.

Is your friendship entirely online or are you meeting in person?

 

[kokoro16]

Is your friendship entirely online or are you meeting in person?

We haven't met yet. That's why it is harder to understand.

 

[Toritoribe]

Just to make things more clear. The person who wrote that is a Japanese man. He wrote it to me and I am not Japanese.
It's a new friendship between a man and a woman. So I'd same our "social status" is the same. Both adults and not work-related.

Well, then, I would say it's just a greeting.

 

[bentenmusume]

Just to follow up on what everyone else is saying... I mean, it's not really possible to judge how "intimate" it is just from the words alone.

It's obviously more familiar/friendly than just a plain old おやすみなさい！ would be, especially if he used that same emote with a red heart and exclamation point that you have in your original post.

That said, to assume that he meant it "intimately" (i.e. in a romantic sense) would be a bit of a leap, as the phrase doesn't carry that inherent nuance.
Honestly, it's really not at all different from if someone said "Good night. Sweet dreams" with an emote in English.
It's something that yes, you could say to someone you had romantic feelings for, but in other contexts could also just be a casual thing to say to a friend.

If you're trying to gauge the intimacy of your relationship with a Japanese man you met online, I'd judge it by the type of interactions you normally have with him, the things you talk about etc., etc., rather than trying to read too much one way or another into this one particular phrase.

 

[kokoro16]

It's obviously more familiar/friendly than just a plain old おやすみなさい！ would be, especially if he used that same emote with a red heart and exclamation point that you have in your original post.

Yes, the emoji he used is the one I copied.

If you're trying to gauge the intimacy of your relationship with a Japanese man you met online, I'd judge it by the type of interactions you normally have with him, the things you talk about etc., etc., rather than trying to read too much one way or another into this one particular phrase.

That's what I am trying to do. However, I know nothing about Japanese men and I am still getting mixed feelings about this. I am not sure how they interact with women. Also, I am not so fluent in Japanese to be able to understand all the nuances. We definitely use informal language to communicate. I guess I will just have to wait and see. The only thing is I don't want to sound too forward because I misundarstand him, so I will keep it as neutral as possible. Thank you!

 

[mdchachi]

Chances are he has some romantic interest in you. That's just my opinion based on the heart emoji alone and just knowing how guys tend to be. Whether or not he would admit to it or act on it is a separate question.