잘 잤어요?
jal jasseoyo?
In Korean, "how did you sleep" is expressed as 잘 잤어요? (jal jasseoyo?)
This phrase is used as a standard morning greeting to check on someone's well-being after a night's rest.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 잘, meaning "well" and 잤어요?, meaning "slept", so it literally means "Did you sleep well?"
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For a more formal or honorific approach, you can use 잘 주무셨어요? or ask 잠은 편히 주무셨어요?, which translates to "Did you sleep comfortably?" or "How peacefully did you sleep?" To ask an elder or someone of higher status if they slept peacefully, use the honorific form 안녕히 주무셨어요? In informal situations, such as with close friends or people younger than you, you can use 잠 잘 잤어?
How do you pronounce it?
jal jasseoyo?
When do people say it?
When someone asks you this question, a standard response is 잘 잤어요. (I slept well).
Did you know?
- When using the honorific version 안녕히 주무셨어요?, the word 안녕히 (peacefully/well) is the same root used to say 'goodbye' in formal settings.
- While English speakers might say 'Did you sleep well?' to a guest, a Korean host might use a variation to emphasize the comfort of the bedding, such as asking about the 잠자리 (sleeping place).
- The honorific form 주무시다 is a completely different word root from the standard 자다, rather than just adding a suffix.
Examples in context
- 편안한 밤을 보내셨나요?Did you have a comfortable night?
- 잘 잤어?Did you sleep well?
- 꿀잠 잤어?Did you sleep deeply?
- 잘 잤어요?jal jasseoyo?How did you sleep?
Example conversation
Jihoon and Seoyun are having breakfast together.
- 지훈 Ji-hun서연 씨, 잘 잤어요?Seoyun ssi, jal jasseoyo?Seoyun, did you sleep well?
- 서연 Seo-yeon네, 아주 잘 잤어요.ne, aju jal jasseoyo.Yes, I slept very well.
- 지훈 Ji-hun다행이네요. 배고프죠?dahaeng-ineyo. baegopeujyo?That's a relief. You're hungry, right?
- 서연 Seo-yeon네, 정말 배고파요.ne, jeongmal baegopayo.Yes, I'm really hungry.
