Definition
To wake up, or to get out of bed; also used to mean that something happens or occurs.
Example
毎朝六時に起きるのは難しい。
Show translation
It's hard to wake up at six every morning.
Etymology
From Classical Japanese 起く (oku), meaning "to rise." The modern form 起きる (okiru) is the ichidan (Group 2) verb derived from the same root as 起こす (okosu, "to wake someone up") and 起こる (okoru, "to occur"), all sharing the kanji 起, meaning "to rise, to stand up." This kanji combines the radical 走 (run/walk) with 己 (self), evoking the image of oneself getting up and moving.
Cultural note
Japanese has two related verbs that English learners often confuse: 起きる (okiru, to wake up / to happen) and 起こす (okosu, to wake someone else up). The dual meaning of 起きる — both "to get up" and "to occur" (as in 事故が起きた, "an accident happened") — reflects a conceptual link between rising and events coming into being. Early rising is culturally valued in Japan; the proverb 早起きは三文の徳 (hayaoki wa sanmon no toku, "the early bird catches the worm," literally "rising early is worth three mon") reflects this ideal.