我困了
wǒ kùn le
The phrase "I am sleepy" in Chinese is expressed as 我困了 (wǒ kùn le).
A statement used to say that you feel tired and want to sleep.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase consists of 我 (I), 困 (sleepy/tired) and 了 (a particle indicating a change of state).
Which one should you use?
While 我困了 specifically means you feel the urge to sleep, 我累了 (wǒ lèi le) means "I am tired" and refers more generally to physical or mental exhaustion.
How does it change in a sentence?
The particle 了 at the end of 我困了 indicates that you have become sleepy, rather than just describing a permanent state.
How do you pronounce it?
wǒ kùn le
Did you know?
- The character 困 is a pictograph of a tree 木 trapped inside an enclosure 囗, visually representing the feeling of being trapped or stuck.
- If you are extremely sleepy in a casual setting, you might use the phrase 困死了 (kùn sǐ le), which literally translates to 'sleepy to death'.
- To describe someone who is constantly sleepy or lazy, Chinese speakers use the term 瞌睡虫, which literally translates to 'sleepy bug'.
Examples in context
- 我感到困倦。I feel sleepy
- 我好困啊！I am so sleepy!
- 我好累，想睡觉。I am so tired, I want to sleep
- 我早上起得太早了，现在好困。I woke up too early in the morning, now, I am so sleepy.
- 晚上太晚睡了，我现在困死了。I slept too late at night, now, I am extremely sleepy.
- 好困So sleepy
- 超级困Super sleepy
- 特别困Extremely sleepy
- 我困了。Wǒ kùn le.I am sleepy.
- 看了这么久的电影，我困了。Kànle zhème jiǔ de diànyǐng, wǒ kùn le.After watching the movie for so long, I am sleepy.
- 不行，我困了，想睡觉。Bù xíng, wǒ kùn le, xiǎng shuìjiào.No, I am sleepy and want to sleep.
Example conversation
Two roommates are sitting on the sofa in the evening.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen伟，我们还要看书吗？Wěi, wǒmen hái yào kànshū ma?Wei, are we still going to study?
- 伟 Wei我也想，但我困了。Wǒ yě xiǎng, dàn wǒ kùn le.I want to, but I am sleepy.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen那你早点休息吧。Nà nǐ zǎodiǎn xiūxi ba.Then you should get some rest early.
- 伟 Wei好，晚安，晓雯。Hǎo, wǎn'ān, Xiǎowén.Okay, good night, Xiaowen.
