자
chah
ja
regular
자다
To say to sleep politely in the present tense, use 자요 (chah-yoh) · jayo. Below is the full conjugation of 자다 across the three tenses and three everyday speech levels.
Grammar note (regular): Regular verbs and adjectives conjugate predictably. Before 어-series suffixes, vowels may contract (가 + 아 → 가, 보 + 아 → 봐), but no consonant in the stem changes. If the final vowel of the stem is ㅏ or ㅗ, use 아; otherwise use 어. Consonant-final stems: 먹 + 어 → 먹어; vowel-final: 가 + 아 → 가.
Conjugation table
pron. = pronunciation guide · RR = Revised Romanization
| Tense | Casual (반말) | Polite (요) | Formal (합니다) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present | 자요 chah-yoh jayo | 잡니다 chahm-nee-dah jamnida | |
| Past | 잤어 chah-ssuh jasseo | 잤어요 chah-ssuh-yoh jasseoyo | 잤습니다 chah-sseum-nee-dah jasseumnida |
| Future | 잘 거야 chahl guh-yah jal geoya | 잘 거예요 chahl guh-yae-yoh jal geoyeyo | 잘 겁니다 chahl guhm-nee-dah jal geomnida |
Example sentences
- casual present아기 자. 조용히 해.The baby’s asleep. Be quiet.
- polite present저는 보통 열한 시에 자요.I usually go to bed at eleven.
- formal present고양이는 하루에 열다섯 시간 정도 잡니다.Cats sleep about fifteen hours a day.
- casual past어젯밤에 잘 잤어?Did you sleep well last night?
- polite past어제 너무 피곤해서 일찍 잤어요.I was so tired yesterday that I went to bed early.
- formal past그날 밤은 호텔에서 잤습니다.That night we slept at a hotel.
- casual future나 오늘은 일찍 잘 거야.I’m going to bed early tonight.
- polite future주말에는 늦게까지 잘 거예요.I’m going to sleep in this weekend.
- formal future오늘 밤은 친구 집에서 잘 겁니다.I will sleep at a friend’s place tonight.
- honorific -(으)세요내일 일찍 일어나야 하니까 일찍 자세요.You have to get up early tomorrow, so go to bed early.
How it’s used
자다 means to sleep or go to bed; 잠을 자다 says the same thing with the noun 잠 (sleep). To fall asleep is 잠들다, and to oversleep is 늦잠을 자다. Friends say 잘 자 (“good night”), but for elders the honorific 주무시다 is used: 안녕히 주무세요.
Common mistake
Saying 안녕히 자세요 to an older person. The respectful good-night is 안녕히 주무세요; 자세요 is fine for friends and younger people.
Other useful forms
Honorific / Command Polite (-(으)세요)
자세요
chah-sae-yoh
jaseyo
Suggestion / Let's Polite (요)
자요
chah-yoh
jayo
Question Polite (요)
자요?
chah-yoh-?
jayo?
Connective "and" — (고)
자고
chah-goh
jago
Conditional "if" — (면)
자면
chah-myuhn
jamyeon
Progressive (고 있어요)
자고 있어요
chah-goh ee-ssuh-yoh
jago isseoyo
Want to (고 싶어요)
자고 싶어요
chah-goh shee-puh-yoh
jago sipeoyo
Can / Able to ((으)ㄹ 수 있어요)
잘 수 있어요
chahl soo ee-ssuh-yoh
jal su isseoyo
Because / So (아/어서)
자서
chah-suh
jaseo
Noun form — (기)
자기
chah-gee
jagi
Noun form — (음)
잠
chahm
jam