How to say “I'm sleepy” in Korean

"I'm sleepy" in Korean is 졸려 (jollyeo), or 졸려요 (jollyeoyo) to be polite. Koreans also say 잠 와 (jam wa), literally "sleep is coming."

Ways to say it

Korean	Level	When to use it
졸려 jollyeo	Casual	To friends and family when your eyes are closing.
졸려요 jollyeoyo	Polite	Polite. Fine with most people.
졸립니다 jollimnida	Formal	Formal. Rare in daily life.
잠 와 jam wa	Casual	"I'm getting sleepy," literally "sleep is coming." Very casual and common.
자고 싶어 jago sipeo	Casual	"I want to sleep." Polite: 자고 싶어요 (jago sipeoyo).

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Studying late at night

Ah, I'm so sleepy.

Back at work after lunch

I ate lunch and now I'm sleepy.

Texting a partner at night

I'm getting sleepy.

졸리다 means sleepy. 피곤하다 means tired. You can be tired without being sleepy, and Koreans keep the two apart.

When you head to bed, say 잘게 (jalge), "I'm going to sleep." The other person might answer 잘 자 (jal ja), "Sleep well."

Pronunciation: 졸려 sounds like "jol-lyuh," with a long l sound.

What is the difference between 졸려 and 피곤해?

졸려 means sleepy. 피곤해 means tired or worn out, even if you are not ready to sleep.

How do you say "I'm going to sleep" in Korean?

Say 잘게 (jalge) to a friend, or 잘게요 (jalgeyo) to be polite.