졸려요
jollyeoyo
To say "I am sleepy" in Korean, use 졸려요 (jollyeoyo).
The phrase is used to express that you feel a need to sleep. You can modify the intensity of your sleepiness by adding 조금 for "a little" or 많이 for "a lot".
Which one should you use?
The dictionary form of the verb is 졸리다. In conversation, you will use conjugated forms like 졸려요, 나 졸려 or 저는 졸려요 depending on the level of politeness required.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The default form 졸려요 is the polite/standard way to say you are sleepy to people you are not close with or who are older than you. For a more formal setting, you can use 저는 졸려요. If you are speaking with friends or people younger than you, you can use the informal versions 나 졸려 or 졸려.
How do you pronounce it?
jollyeoyo
Did you know?
- If you are extremely sleepy, you might say you are 졸려 죽겠어요, which literally translates to 'I am so sleepy I could die'.
- When someone is fighting sleep during a meeting or class, others might say they are 꾸벅꾸벅 nodding, an onomatopoeia that mimics the rhythmic motion of a head dropping.
- In Korea, the feeling of sleepiness is often linked to 'food coma' using the term 식곤증, which literally means 'after-meal sleep illness'.
Examples in context
- 나 조금 졸려I'm a little sleepy
- 나 많이 졸려I'm very sleepy
- 너무 졸려요.neomu jollyeoyo.I am so sleepy.
- 지금 졸려요?jigeum jollyeoyo?Are you sleepy now?
- 갑자기 졸려요.gapjagi jollyeoyo.I am suddenly sleepy.
Example conversation
At a cafe while studying together.
- 민지 Min-ji현우 씨, 졸려요?Hyeon-u ssi, jollyeoyo?Hyeon-u, are you sleepy?
- 현우 Hyeon-woo네, 조금 졸려요.ne, jogeum jollyeoyo.Yes, I am a little sleepy.
- 민지 Min-ji그럼 좀 쉴까요?geureom jom swilkkayo?Then shall we rest a bit?
- 현우 Hyeon-woo좋아요, 민지 씨.joayo, Min-ji ssi.That sounds good, Min-ji.
