How to say “I'm tired” in Korean

  1. 피곤해요pigonhaeyo

    I'm tired

"I'm tired" in Korean is 피곤해 (pigonhae), or 피곤해요 (pigonhaeyo) to be polite. Koreans also say 힘들어 (himdeureo) when they are worn out from something hard.

Ways to say it

KoreanLevelWhen to use it
피곤해
pigonhae		CasualPhysically tired. To friends and family.
피곤해요
pigonhaeyo		PoliteThe polite form, fine with coworkers or people you just met.
피곤합니다
pigonhamnida		FormalFormal. Rare in daily talk.
힘들어
himdeureo		Casual"It's hard" or "I'm worn out." Used for physical and emotional tiredness. Polite: 힘들어요 (himdeureoyo).
지쳤어
jichyeosseo		Casual"I'm exhausted" or "I'm drained," after a long stretch of effort.

Examples

Tap a word to see what it means and save it to your flashcards.

Coming home after work

I'm so tired today.

Telling a coworker

I'm a bit tired.

After a long, stressful week

This is really hard.
Kkachi the magpie

Hanbok explains every word and ending in a sentence, with audio and a translation. Try it on this example, or paste your own line from a drama, a song or a text.

Tips

피곤하다 is tired in the body. 힘들다 is broader: something is hard, tiring or stressful. Koreans say 힘들어 a lot, even about a long day.

If you are tired because you want to sleep, use 졸려 (jollyeo), "I'm sleepy."

When someone looks tired after work, Koreans often say 수고했어 (sugohaesseo), "you worked hard."

More on 피곤해 in our Korean phrase guides.

Questions learners ask

How do you ask "Are you tired?" in Korean?

Say 피곤해? (pigonhae?) casually or 피곤해요? (pigonhaeyo?) politely, with a rising tone.

What is the difference between 피곤해 and 졸려?

피곤해 means tired or worn out. 졸려 means sleepy, when your eyes are closing.

Say more in Korean