잘 자요
jal jayo[t͡ɕa̠ʎd͡ʑa̠jo]
To say have a good night in Korean before someone goes to bed, use 잘 자요 (jal jayo), meaning sleep well.
잘 자요 is specifically a wish for good sleep. 좋은 밤 되세요 is a more literal match for have a good night, used for general evening greetings but less common at bedtime.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is made of 잘, meaning well and 자요, meaning sleep.
Which one should you use?
잘 주무세요 is a polite and respectful way to wish someone a good night's sleep. 오늘 밤도 편안하게 보내세요 means please have a relaxing night tonight as well. 밤 잘 보내 means spend the night well.
How does it change in a sentence?
Removing the polite ending 요 gives 잘 자, which is used with close friends or people younger than you.
How do you pronounce it?
It is written in Latin letters as jal jayo.
When do people say it?
If someone says 잘 자요 to you, a natural reply is to say it back or answer 네, 잘 자요, meaning yes, sleep well.
Did you know?
- In Korea, it is common to wish someone a good night's sleep by mentioning their 'dreams' instead of just their sleep. You might hear 좋은 꿈 꾸세요, which means 'please dream a good dream'.
- The formal version 잘 주무세요 uses a completely different verb root 주무시다 instead of 자다. This is an example of 'honorific' vocabulary where a word is replaced entirely to show respect.
- The word 잘 in your phrase is actually a shortened form of the native Korean word 자루 (jaru).
Examples in context
- 잘 자요.jal jayo.Have a good night.
- 내일 봐요, 잘 자요.naeil bwayo, jal jayo.See you tomorrow, have a good night.
- 피곤할 텐데 얼른 잘 자요.pigonhal tende eolleun jal jayo.You must be tired, so go have a good night.
Example conversation
Dohyun and Seoyeon are saying goodbye before going to bed.
- 도현 Do-hyeon서연 씨, 오늘 고생 많았어요.Seoyeon ssi, oneul gosaeng manasseoyo.Seoyeon, you worked hard today.
- 서연 Seo-yeon도현 씨도 정말 수고하셨어요.Dohyun ssi-do jeongmal sugohasyeosseoyo.You worked hard too, Dohyun.
- 도현 Do-hyeon그럼 이제 잘 자요.geureom ije jal jayo.Then, have a good night now.
- 서연 Seo-yeon네, 좋은 꿈 꾸세요!ne, joeun kkum kkuseyo!Yes, sweet dreams!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 잘 자요, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 잘, 잘 자요, CC BY-SA 4.0.
