Key Facts
- Hangul: 자다 (jada)
- Meaning: to sleep
- Part of speech: verb (동사)
- Level: A1
- Stem: 자
- Class: regular
- Polite present: 자요
- Polite past: 잤어요
- Formal present: 잡니다
- Objects: intransitive
What Does 자다 Mean?
- to sleep. Rest with the eyes closed at night or during the day, as in 일찍 자다.
Particles and objects. Takes no object; the place is marked with 에서 (집에서 자요) and 잠을 자다 is the noun + verb form.
Respectful speech. The regular honorific ending would give 자세요, but for someone you respect Korean uses the special honorific verb 주무시다: 주무세요. It is also the root of the polite bedtime greeting to an elder, which ends in 주무세요.
How Do You Pronounce 자다?
자다 is read as written; Revised Romanization: jada. The ㅈ at the start is a soft, unaspirated j, and the ㄷ of 다 is lightly voiced between the vowels.
Sound changes under the standard pronunciation rules (국립국어원):
- 잤어요 sounds like [자써요]
- 잘 거예요 sounds like [잘꺼예요]
- 자겠어요 sounds like [자게써요]
- 잡니다 sounds like [잠니다]
- 잤습니다 sounds like [잗씀니다]
How Do You Use 자다 in a Sentence?
저는 보통 열한 시에 자요.
I usually go to bed at eleven.
Form shown: polite present (자요). With a clock time, 자다 means going to bed rather than the whole night's sleep.
어젯밤에 일찍 잤어요.
I went to bed early last night.
Form shown: polite past (잤어요); 어젯밤에 means "last night".
오늘은 일찍 잘 거예요.
I will go to sleep early today.
Form shown: polite future for a plan (잘 거예요), with 오늘은 setting today apart from other days.
Jada Conjugation: What Are the Forms of 자다?
자다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 자요 | ||
| Polite past | 잤어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 잘 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 자겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 잡니다 | ||
| Formal past | 잤습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 잘 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 자 | ||
| Casual past | 잤어 | ||
| Casual future | 잘 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 자고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 자세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 자서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 자면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 자는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 잔 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 잘 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 자요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 자지 않아요 |
| Form | Korean | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 자요 | as written |
| Polite past | 잤어요 | [자써요] |
| Polite future (plan) | 잘 거예요 | [잘꺼예요] |
| Polite future (guess) | 자겠어요 | [자게써요] |
| Formal present | 잡니다 | [잠니다] |
| Formal past | 잤습니다 | [잗씀니다] |
| Formal future | 잘 것입니다 | [잘꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 자 | as written |
| Casual past | 잤어 | [자써] |
| Casual future | 잘 거야 | [잘꺼야] |
| Want to (polite) | 자고 싶어요 | [자고 시퍼요] |
| Honorific polite | 자세요 | as written |
| Because / and then | 자서 | as written |
| If (conditional) | 자면 | as written |
| Present modifier | 자는 | as written |
| Past modifier | 잔 | as written |
| Future modifier | 잘 | as written |
| Short negative | 안 자요 | as written |
| Long negative | 자지 않아요 | [자지 아나요] |
Is 자다 Regular or Irregular?
자다 is a regular verb. The stem 자 ends in ㅏ, so the ending 아 merges into it: 자요, 잤어요. Lesson: polite present recipe. Tool: conjugator.
What Is the Most Common Mistake with 자다?
Wrong (not respectful enough): ✗ 할아버지는 자세요
Correct: ✓ 할아버지는 주무세요
Why: 자세요 is grammatically fine but does not show respect enough; use the special honorific 주무시다 for elders.
A handful of everyday verbs have special honorific forms like this one; see honorific and humble verbs.
How Is 자다 Different from Similar Words?
| Word | How it differs from 자다 |
|---|---|
| 주무시다 | 주무시다 is the honorific of 자다 for elders; 자다 is for yourself or equals. |
| 눕다 | 자다 is to sleep; 눕다 is to lie down, which may not involve sleeping. |
Comparing Bedtime Plans
Two housemates talk after dinner. One has been sleeping late and plans an earlier night.
Sora
어젯밤에 잘 잤어요?
Eojetbame jal jasseoyo?
Did you sleep well last night?
Jiho
아니요, 늦게 잤어요.
Aniyo, neutge jasseoyo.
No, I went to bed late.
Sora
오늘도 늦게 자요?
Oneuldo neutge jayo?
Are you going to bed late today too?
Jiho
오늘은 일찍 잘 거예요.
Oneureun iljjik jal geoyeyo.
Today I’m going to bed early.
잤어요 looks back at last night. 자요 asks about tonight in this context, and 잘 거예요 gives a clear plan. Notice the two different uses of 잘: before 잤어요 it is the adverb “well”; in 잘 거예요 it is the future modifier of 자다. The following word helps you separate them.
Common Combinations with 자다
| Phrase | Meaning | What it adds |
|---|---|---|
| 잠을 자다 | to sleep | The noun 잠 names sleep itself. |
| 낮잠을 자다 | to take a nap | A sleep during the daytime. |
| 늦잠을 자다 | to sleep late; oversleep | Getting up later than usual or intended. |
| 푹 자다 | to sleep deeply or soundly | Describes the quality of sleep. |
| 잘 자 | sleep well; good night | A familiar bedtime wish. |
늦게 자다 and 늦잠을 자다 describe different timings. 늦게 자다 normally means going to bed late. 늦잠을 자다 concerns sleeping late into the morning or beyond the intended waking time. A person can go to bed early and still oversleep, so the phrases give different information.
잠을 자다 literally pairs the noun “sleep” with the verb “sleep”. It is a normal Korean expression, not a claim that sleep is an object you act on. 낮잠 and 늦잠 fit into that same noun-plus-verb pattern. Keep the noun together as one word, then leave a space before 자다.
Where Will You Hear 자다?
At bedtime, 잘 자 is a familiar “good night” for a close friend, partner or child. 잘 자요 adds politeness. For an elder or someone you are treating respectfully, 안녕히 주무세요 is the usual bedtime wish. The choice concerns the person who will sleep, so a polite ending alone does not replace the special honorific verb.
In the morning, 잘 잤어요? asks whether someone slept well. It is about sleep quality, rather than a precise bedtime. A reply can explain that the speaker went to bed late, woke often or still feels tired. The verb 자다 itself does not tell you which problem occurred.
In everyday routine talk, a clock time with 자요 often gives a bedtime. A duration gives the amount of sleep instead. The surrounding time words therefore matter: “at eleven” answers when, while “for seven hours” answers how long. The Korean verb can stay the same across those English translations.
Sleepiness, Lying down and Sleep
졸리다 describes feeling sleepy. 눕다 describes lying down. 자다 describes sleeping or going to bed. Someone may feel sleepy while standing, lie down without sleeping, or fall asleep while sitting. Choosing the precise verb helps when explaining why you want to rest or what someone is doing.
The contraction in 자요 is a regular vowel merger: 자 plus 아요 becomes 자요. Keep the stem 자 when forming 자고 싶어요 or 자지 않아요; the special past spelling 잤어요 does not replace it in those forms. In formal 잡니다, the written ㅂ belongs to the ending and sounds like ㅁ before ㄴ, giving [잠니다].
Related Words for Sleep and Waking
| Korean | Meaning | Useful distinction |
|---|---|---|
| 잠 | sleep | The noun in 잠을 자다. |
| 졸리다 | to feel sleepy | A feeling before sleep, rather than sleeping itself. |
| 침대 | bed | The piece of furniture. |
| 이불 | bedding; quilt | What you cover yourself with. |
| 일어나다 | to get up | The morning partner of 자다. |
The daily routines lesson connects sleeping with the rest of the day. The sleepy expressions lesson helps when you want to explain the feeling before going to bed.
Mini Drill: One Night, Four Forms
- Give the polite present of 자다.
- Give the polite past.
- Say “I want to sleep.”
- Give a respectful bedtime wish to an elder.
Show the bedtime forms
- 자요.
- 잤어요.
- 자고 싶어요.
- 안녕히 주무세요.
Quick Self-Test
- Which phrase means going to bed late: 늦게 자다 or 늦잠을 자다?
- Does 눕다 mean someone is already sleeping?
- In 잘 잤어요?, what does 잘 mean?
Show answers
- 늦게 자다. 늦잠을 자다 means sleeping late or oversleeping.
- No. It only describes lying down.
- “Well”: the question asks whether the person slept well.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 자다 Regular or Irregular?
자다 is regular. The stem 자 gives 자요 in the polite present and 잤어요 in the polite past.
How Do You Say "I Usually Go to Bed at Eleven" in Korean?
Say 저는 보통 열한 시에 자요. 보통 means "usually", and the verb is in the polite present form, 자요.
How Do You Make 자다 Negative?
There are two ways. The short form puts 안 in front of the verb: 안 자요 (I'm not sleeping / I don't sleep). The long form is 자지 않아요.
What Is the Respectful Form of 자다?
Use 주무세요, from the special honorific verb 주무시다. The regular form 자세요 exists, but it is not respectful enough for elders.
Which Particles Go with 자다?
자다 takes no object. The place is marked with 에서 (집에서 자요), and 잠을 자다 pairs the verb with its own noun, 잠 (sleep).
What Is the Difference between 자다 (to sleep) and 주무시다?
주무시다 is the honorific of 자다 for elders; 자다 is for yourself or equals.
Which Words Are Related to 자다 (to sleep)?
What Should You Learn Next?
Next: 주무시다, or browse the verb dictionary. 주무시다 is the honorific of 자다 for elders; 자다 is for yourself or equals.