졸려?
jollyeo?
졸려? (jollyeo?) is the Korean way to say "are you sleepy?"
This phrase is used to ask if someone feels a need to sleep.
Which one should you use?
졸려? (jollyeo?) refers specifically to the physical sensation of drowsiness. If you want to ask "Do you want to sleep?" instead of asking about their current state of tiredness, you would use 자고 싶어?
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
To make the phrase polite and suitable for people you are not close with or people older than you, add the suffix –요 to make 졸려요?
How does it change in a sentence?
In the informal form 졸려?, the subject (you) is often omitted because the context makes it clear who is being asked.
How do you pronounce it?
jollyeo?
Did you know?
- While 졸려? focuses on the physical feeling of drowsiness, a common way to ask if someone is 'sleepy' in a more poetic or heavy sense is to use the word 잠이 오다, which literally translates to 'sleep is coming to me'.
- The root word 졸다 refers specifically to the act of nodding off or dozing unintentionally, which is distinct from the intentional act of sleeping 자다.
- Koreans sometimes use the expression 눈꺼풀이 무겁다 meaning 'eyelids are heavy' as a poetic or exaggerated way to express being 졸려.
Examples in context
- 너 졸려?neo jollyeo?Are you sleepy?
- 아직도 졸려?ajikdo jollyeo?Are you still sleepy?
- 눈이 감기는 걸 보니 졸려?nuni gamgineun geol boni jollyeo?Are you sleepy because your eyes are closing?
Example conversation
Late at night in a living room while watching a movie.
- 지은 Ji-eun지훈아, 졸려?Jihoon-a, jollyeo?Jihoon, are you sleepy?
- 지훈 Ji-hun응, 조금 졸려.Eung, jogeum jollyeo.Yes, I am a little sleepy.
- 지은 Ji-eun그럼 이제 자자.Geureom ije jajaa.Then let's sleep now.
- 지훈 Ji-hun그래, 지은아 잘 자.Geurae, Jieun-a jal ja.Okay, sleep well, Jieun.
