Ways to say it
| Korean | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 안녕히 주무세요 | annyeonghi jumuseyo | |
| 안녕히 주무십시오 | annyeonghi jumusipsio | |
| 잘 자요 | jal jayo | [t͡ɕa̠ʎd͡ʑa̠jo] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) |
| 잘 자 | jal ja |
In Korean, "good night" is used as a farewell phrase. While 안녕히 주무세요 can be translated as "sleep well", it is a polite way to wish someone a good night's sleep.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 안녕히 주무세요 literally means "Please sleep peacefully". In this expression, 안녕히 means "peacefully/well" and 주무세요 is the honorific form of the verb "to sleep".
Which one should you use?
안녕히 주무십시오 is the most formal version, whereas 안녕히 주무세요 is a polite way to say "sleep well". 잘 자요 is a polite but friendly version used between people who are somewhat close. Conversely, 잘 자 is the informal version used for friends or people younger than you.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Use 안녕히 주무십시오 in highly professional settings or when addressing someone of much higher rank. Use 안녕히 주무세요 for elders or people of higher social status. 잘 자요 is suitable for a polite but friendly tone between people who are somewhat close. Use 잘 자 for close friends, siblings or children. For very casual text-based communication among friends, you might see 굿밤.
How do you pronounce it?
annyeonghi jumuseyo
Did you know?
- Korean uses a completely different verb for 'to sleep' depending on who is sleeping. 자다 is used for equals or subordinates, while 주무시다 is reserved exclusively for elders or superiors.
- In very casual digital messages or texts, young people often use the Konglish term 굿밤, which is a combination of the English word 'good' and the Korean word for 'night' (밤).
- The root of the polite phrase 안녕히 comes from the Chinese characters 安 (peace) and 寧 (comfort).
Examples in context
- 잘 자!Good night!This example shows the use of the informal form 잘 자.Tatoeba #13174788 by atitarev, translation #426950 by Pun_intended
- 잘 자요.Good night.This example shows the use of the polite form 잘 자요.Tatoeba #10622379 by Adelpa, translation #2362724 by NotApplicable
- 안녕히 주무세요. 좋은 꿈 꾸세요.Sleep well and have sweet dreams.
- 잘 자. 내일 봐!Sleep well. See you tomorrow!
- 굿밤, 좋은 꿈 꾸라구!Good night and have wonderful dreams!
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A daughter is saying good night to her father before going to bed.
- 서연 Seo-yeon아빠, 안녕히 주무세요.appa, annyeonghi jumuseyo.Dad, good night.
- 도현 Do-hyeon그래, 서연아 잘 자라.geurae, seoyeon-a jal jara.Okay, good night, Seoyeon.
- 서연 Seo-yeon내일 아침에 봐요.naeil achime bwayo.See you tomorrow morning.
- 도현 Do-hyeon그래, 내일 보자.geurae, naeil boja.Okay, see you tomorrow.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “good night” translations and entries 잘 자요, 잘 자, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 안녕히, 자, 잘, 잘 자, 잘 자요, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
