Evie Summers
The use of 'zzz' to indicate sleep is thought to have originated in comic books, where it was used as an onomatopoeic representation of snoring. The letter Z, or a series of Zs, was used to indicate that a character was sleeping when sound effects were not an option. The use of 'zzz' to represent sleep became popular in the media and was formalised by the American Dialect Society in 1918. Over time, it became linked with sleep in general, and idioms like 'catching some z's' emerged.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Onomatopoeia for snoring | zzzz, z-z-z-z, zed-zed-zed-zed |
| Visual representation of sleep in comics | Series of Zs, one giant Z |
| Idiomatic expressions | Catch some Zs, Catch some zees |
| First written reference | Henry David Thoreau's writings: Journal 1837-1846 |
| Formalized by | American Dialect Society in 1918 |
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What You'll Learn
Zzz is an onomatopoeia for snoring
The use of "Zzz" to represent sleep and snoring has become a staple of comic books and cartoons. The letter "Z" is an onomatopoeic representation of the sound of snoring. The use of "Zzz" to represent sleep can be traced back to the early 20th century, with early references found in 1918 and 1919. The American Dialect Society formalized the use of "Zzz" to represent snoring in 1918, and soon after, popular idioms like "catching some Zs" emerged.
The reason "Zzz" became associated with sleep and snoring is that comic strip artists had difficulty representing sleeping in their artwork. Since there is no real way of depicting sleep, they opted for a sound-word (onomatopoeia) instead. "Zzz" is thought to resemble the sound of snoring, or a tiny saw cutting through a log, which also produces a "zzz" sound. Over time, the use of "Zzz" to represent sleep became interchangeable with snoring in comics and cartoons, and it brought about a new standard.
The letter "Z" itself has become linked to sleep and is commonly used to indicate that a person is sleeping in comics and cartoons. While the use of "Zzz" to represent sleep and snoring is well-established in popular culture, it is worth noting that not all comics conform to this convention. For example, the comic strip "Dagwood" uses the onomatopoeic "SKNXX-X" to represent loud snoring, while Japanese cartoons simply use three bubbles to indicate sleep.
The phrase "catching some Zs" to refer to sleep emerged in the 1960s as a result of American student slang. While the visual idea of using "Zzz" to represent sleep was already established, the phrase "catching some Zs" further solidified the association between the letter "Z" and sleep.
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The American Dialect Society formalised the term in 1918
The use of 'Z' to represent sleep has been a convention in American comic books and cartoons. The letter 'Z' is an onomatopoeic representation of the act of snoring. It sounds like snoring, or at least since 1918. In 1918, the American Dialect Society formalised it, and soon after, popular idioms like "catching some Zs" followed. Over time, the letter Z became permanently linked to sleep.
The use of 'Z' to denote sleep was first seen in comic books and cartoons, where it is common to see a series of "Z's" indicating that an individual is sleeping. Comic strip artists found it challenging to represent sleep and, hence, came up with a sound-word (onomatopoeia) instead. Boom, buzz, crash, bang, pow, zip, and clang are all onomatopoeias, but depending on their use, are also very real words. They can be words, such as verbs, or they can represent a certain sound that's made, such as a bee's buzzing. In this case, you'd use "buzz" as a noun. So, when you say the bee went "buzz", it's an onomatopoeia.
Henry David Thoreau was the first writer to represent non-vocal sounds with the letter Z, but he was writing about the sound of crickets, not snoring. Thoreau's writings referenced the low buzz of insects, or "The dry z-ing of locusts." This buzz merged with snoring over the years, although it could have been the 20th-century comics that made the connection in popular culture.
In some cases, they'd use a tiny saw that cuts through a log, and both the saw and the snore would make the zzzz sound. As time went on, this became linked with sleep in general. Onomatopoeia is the formation of a word that comes from a sound linked with what is named.
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Zzz is used in comics to indicate sleep
The use of "Zzz" to indicate sleep in comics and cartoons is a well-known convention. While the concept of sleep is not new, with the word "sleep" having Old English roots, the use of "Zzz" in comics became a popular way to denote sleep. This can be traced back to the early 20th century, specifically to the writings of Henry David Thoreau, who first represented non-vocal sounds, such as the buzzing of insects, with the letter "Z".
Over time, this buzzing sound merged with the sound of snoring in popular culture, and by 1918, "Zzz" was recognized as an onomatopoeic representation of snoring. The American Dialect Society formalized this association in the same year, and soon, idioms like "catching some Zs" or "catching some zees" emerged, further entrenching the link between "Zzz" and sleep.
Comic strip artists embraced the use of "Zzz" as a creative solution to the challenge of visually representing sleep in their panels. The letter "Z" and its repetition created a sound effect that connoted snoring and, by extension, sleep. This became a widely accepted standard in comics, with publications in the 1930s using varying numbers of "Zs" to indicate sleep.
While most comics adopted this convention, there were exceptions. For instance, the comic strip "Dagwood" opted for a different onomatopoeic representation of snoring, "SKNXX-X". Additionally, Japanese cartoons typically used three bubbles instead of "Zzz" to indicate sleep.
The use of "Zzz" in comics and cartoons has had a lasting impact, shaping the way we depict sleep in modern forms of communication, such as emojis. The association between "Zzz" and sleep has become so ingrained that it has transcended cultural boundaries, becoming a universally recognized symbol of sleep.
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Idioms like catching some z's emerged in the 1960s
The use of "Z"s to represent sleep can be traced back to comic strip artists who found it challenging to visually represent sleeping. They, therefore, resorted to using onomatopoeia, which is the formation of a word from a sound linked with what is named. "Zzzz" is an onomatopoeic representation of snoring, which was formalised by the American Dialect Society in 1918. Over time, snoring and sleep became interchangeable in comics, and popular idioms like "catching some Zs" emerged in the 1960s as a result of American student slang.
The use of "Z"s to represent sleep was also influenced by the buzzing sound of a mechanical saw, which is similar to the sound of snoring. The phrase "sawing logs" is slang for snoring, and cartoonists would sometimes depict a saw being logged to represent sleep. This association between the sound of a saw and snoring may have contributed to the use of "Z"s to denote sleep.
While the visual representation of sleep with "Z"s was already established, it was not until the 1960s that the term "zees" was coined and people began catching zees or catching Zs. This phraseology is similar to the expression "catch a wink", which also means to sleep. The idiom "catching some Zs" reflects the onomatopoeic quality of the letter "Z", which, when pronounced as "Zzzz", evokes the sound of snoring or the buzzing of a saw.
The letter "Z" has become so strongly associated with sleep that it has transcended cultural boundaries. For instance, while Australians typically pronounce the last letter of the alphabet as "zed", they universally adopt the American pronunciation of "zee" when referring to sleep. This suggests that the association between "Z" and sleep has become deeply ingrained in popular culture, influencing language and expression related to sleep across different regions.
The phrase "catching some Zs" has endured and remains a playful and imaginative way to refer to sleep. Its origin in comic strips and slang showcases how creative language can emerge from everyday challenges, such as visually representing sleep in comics, and how these expressions can become widely accepted and recognised.
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Zzz is a universal symbol for sleep
The use of "Zzz" to indicate sleep is a convention that arose in American comic books, where sound effects were not an option. The letter "Z" is an onomatopoeic representation of snoring, which, over time, became associated with sleep in general.
The idea of using "Zzz" to indicate sleep took hold quickly, and by the 1930s, many publications used between three and ten "Zzzs" to represent sleep. The use of "Zzz" to indicate sleep was not limited to comics, and soon after, popular idioms like "catching some Zs" emerged.
The use of "Zzz" to indicate sleep is now a universally recognised symbol. For example, in Charles Schulz's "Peanuts" comic strips, a single "Z" in a speech bubble indicates that a character is sleeping, rather than snoring. This technique has also been used in "Garfield", where the character Garfield is unable to sleep because his "Z" bubble is pointing in the wrong direction. He then grabs the bubble's tail to make it point at himself, and he falls asleep.
The letter "Z" is also used to represent the sound of a saw cutting through wood, which some people associate with the sound of snoring. This association may have contributed to the widespread use of "Zzz" to indicate sleep.
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Frequently asked questions
""Zzzz" is an onomatopoeic representation of the sound of snoring. It was commonly used in media where sound effects were not an option, notably in comic books and cartoons. Over time, it became associated with sleep in general.
The letter 'z' has been used to represent non-vocal sounds like buzzing or the z-ing of locusts since at least 1837. This buzz merged with snoring over the years, and by 1918, the American Dialect Society had formalised the use of "zzz" to represent snoring.
Comic strip artists had a difficult time representing sleeping. As the sounds made while sleeping are quite difficult to represent with letters, the artists chose "zzz" because it best represented the sound of snoring.
The phrase "catching some z's" emerged soon after the American Dialect Society formalised the use of "zzz" to represent snoring in 1918. However, the phrase "catching some zees" didn't show up until 1963 when American student slang turned "zzz" into "zees".
