Key Facts
- Hangul: 졸리다 (jollida)
- Meaning: sleepy
- Part of speech: verb and adjective (동사·형용사)
- Level: A2
- Stem: 졸리
- Class: regular
What Does 졸리다 Mean?
졸리다 says that you feel sleepy, not that you are asleep or tired. It is a feeling that comes over you, so the subject is the person who feels it. The present is enough for 'I am sleepy': 졸려요. The modifier 졸린 looks like a past form but is the normal present one, as in 졸린 얼굴 (a sleepy face). To express a wish to sleep, use 자다 with the want-to pattern; 졸리다 describes the sleepiness itself.
How Do You Pronounce 졸리다?
The word is said as spelled. The contraction to listen for is 졸려요, which has the ㅕ sound. The past 졸렸어요 is [졸려써요], the formal 졸립니다 is [졸림니다], and the long negative 졸리지 않아요 is [졸리지 아나요].
How Do You Use 졸리다 in a Sentence?
점심을 먹고 나면 졸려요.
I get sleepy after lunch.
점심을 먹고 나면 졸려요 uses the pattern 먹고 나면 ('once I have eaten') and the polite present to describe a routine drowsiness.
어제 밤을 새워서 너무 졸렸어요.
I stayed up all night, so I was very sleepy.
어제 밤을 새워서 너무 졸렸어요 gives the reason 밤을 새워서 ('having stayed up all night') and the past of the feeling.
졸리면 커피를 마셔요.
If you are sleepy, drink coffee.
졸리면 커피를 마셔요 uses the conditional for advice: if you are sleepy, drink coffee.
How Does Jollida Conjugation Work?
졸리다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 졸려요 | ||
| Polite past | 졸렸어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 졸릴 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 졸리겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 졸립니다 | ||
| Formal past | 졸렸습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 졸릴 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 졸려 | ||
| Casual past | 졸렸어 | ||
| Casual future | 졸릴 거야 | ||
| Because / and then | 졸려서 | ||
| Conditional (if) | 졸리면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 졸린 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 졸렸던 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 졸릴 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 졸려요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 졸리지 않아요 |
| Form | Korean | Sound if different |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 졸려요 | — |
| Polite past | 졸렸어요 | [졸려써요] |
| Polite future (plan) | 졸릴 거예요 | [졸릴꺼예요] |
| Polite future (guess) | 졸리겠어요 | [졸리게써요] |
| Formal present | 졸립니다 | [졸림니다] |
| Formal past | 졸렸습니다 | [졸렫씀니다] |
| Formal future | 졸릴 것입니다 | [졸릴꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 졸려 | — |
| Casual past | 졸렸어 | [졸려써] |
| Casual future | 졸릴 거야 | [졸릴꺼야] |
| Because / and then | 졸려서 | — |
| Conditional (if) | 졸리면 | — |
| Modifier, present | 졸린 | — |
| Modifier, past | 졸렸던 | [졸렫떤] |
| Modifier, future | 졸릴 | — |
| Short negative | 안 졸려요 | — |
| Long negative | 졸리지 않아요 | [졸리지 아나요] |
Is 졸리다 Regular or Irregular?
졸리다 is regular. The stem 졸리 ends in ㅣ, and ㅣ + 어 contracts into the vowel ㅕ, so 졸려요 and 졸려서. Because the word describes a feeling, its present modifier 졸린 resembles a past tense. The endings follow the present-tense recipe.
Common Mistake with 졸리다
Means something else: 저는 졸아요 ('I am dozing off', from 졸다)
Correct for 'I am sleepy': ✓ 저는 졸려요
Why: 졸다 means 'to doze off', so 졸아요 says you are nodding off right now. For the feeling of sleepiness, use 졸리다: 졸려요.
졸리다 Versus 졸다 and 피곤하다
| Word | How it differs |
|---|---|
| 졸다 | 졸다 is the verb: to doze off, which is an action. 졸리다 is the feeling of sleepiness. |
| 피곤하다 | 피곤하다 means tired, which is not always sleepy. |
Studying after a Short Night
Two classmates are studying together. One notices the other struggling to stay alert and asks about the feeling rather than claiming the person is already asleep.
Mina
졸려요?
Jollyeoyo?
Are you sleepy?
Jun
네. 아침에도 졸렸어요.
Ne. Achimedo jollyeosseoyo.
Yes. I was sleepy this morning too.
Mina
졸리면 잠깐 쉬어요.
Jollimyeon jamkkan swieoyo.
If you’re sleepy, take a short break.
Jun
좋아요. 십 분만 쉴게요.
Joayo. Sip bunman swilgeyo.
All right. I’ll rest for just ten minutes.
The first line uses question intonation with 졸려요. Jun answers with the past 졸렸어요, and Mina’s 졸리면 sets a condition for taking a break. No form here says that Jun has actually fallen asleep.
Sleepy, Sleepy-Looking, or Already Dozing?
졸린 얼굴 means “a sleepy face”, and 졸린 눈 means “sleepy eyes”. Both describe how someone looks. The present modifier 졸린 names the state directly; it does not mean the person was sleepy yesterday. 졸렸던 recalls an earlier state and needs a context that looks back.
졸음 is the noun “drowsiness”. You may see it in 졸음운전, driving while drowsy. In that compound, the focus is the driving condition rather than a person telling a friend how they feel. Recognizing 졸음 helps you connect a warning sign with the familiar sentence 졸려요.
잠이 오다 literally means “sleep comes” and is another way to describe feeling sleepy. 잠 is the noun for sleep; 졸리다 is a word that can finish the sentence after conjugation. They describe a similar experience, but you build their grammar from different starting points.
What Will You Hear in Everyday Conversation?
졸려 is common at bedtime, during a late study session or after a meal. 졸려요 is the polite version. A speaker can omit “I” because the feeling is understood as their own. Add a question tone and the same form asks whether the listener is sleepy, as in the dialogue.
At work or in class, saying 졸려요 can suggest that you are struggling to pay attention. Said during someone’s explanation, it might be taken as a comment on how interesting they are. Naming a short night or the time of day makes your intended reason clearer.
아직 안 졸려요 means “I’m not sleepy yet”. 아직 sets the time: the feeling has not arrived so far. This can be useful when someone suggests bedtime but you still feel alert. It does not mean that you never feel sleepy or that you have already slept.
In a story, 졸린 얼굴 can describe another person through visible signs. In direct conversation, 졸려요? checks their feeling. A question is more natural than assuming that a person who looks tired necessarily wants to sleep.
Why Does 졸려요 Have No ㅂ?
The stem is 졸리. Adding 어요 produces the contraction 졸려요: ㅣ and 어 combine as ㅕ. The ㅂ in the formal 졸립니다 belongs to the ending ㅂ니다. It is not a stem consonant that must reappear in other forms.
Wrong: 졸려워요.
Correct: 졸려요.
This word does not follow the ㅂ-irregular pattern of words such as 춥다. Starting from the correct dictionary form prevents you from building a longer form with an extra 워. The past adds ㅆ to the contracted base, giving 졸렸어요.
NIKL lists both verb and adjective uses of 졸리다. Its explanation of 졸다 and 졸리다 gives 졸린 표정 as an adjective use. For learners, the useful contrast is feeling sleepy versus actually nodding off with 졸다.
Words for a Sleep Conversation
| Korean | Meaning | Useful distinction |
|---|---|---|
| 잠 | sleep | A noun used when talking about sleep itself. |
| 낮잠 | nap | Sleep taken during the day. |
| 졸음 | drowsiness | The noun seen in warnings about drowsy driving. |
| 자다 | to sleep | Describes sleeping, rather than the feeling before it. |
The daily routine vocabulary lesson puts 잠 and 낮잠 alongside bedtime, mornings and the rest of the day.
Mini Drill: Build the Sleepy Forms
- Make the polite present from 졸리 + 어요.
- Say “I was sleepy” in the polite past.
- Complete “a sleepy face”: ____ 얼굴.
- Say “If you are sleepy” using 면.
Show sleepiness drill answers
- 졸려요.
- 졸렸어요.
- 졸린 얼굴. This modifier describes the current state.
- 졸리면. The stem keeps 리 before this ending.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 졸려요 mean you are already asleep?
- Does the ㅂ in 졸립니다 belong to the stem?
- Which is the noun for drowsiness: 졸음 or 낮잠?
Show answers
- No. It reports feeling sleepy.
- No. It belongs to the formal ending ㅂ니다.
- 졸음. 낮잠 means a daytime nap.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Say 'I'm Sleepy'?
Say 졸려요, in the polite present.
Is 졸리다 the Same as 피곤하다?
No. 졸리다 is wanting to sleep, while 피곤하다 is being worn out.
Why Is 졸린 Not a past Form?
For this word it is the normal present modifier, as in 졸린 얼굴.
Is 졸리다 a Verb or an Adjective?
NIKL lists both verb and adjective uses. 졸린 얼굴 describes a sleepy face, while 졸려요 reports feeling sleepy.
Which Words Are Related to 졸리다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Study 졸다 beside it to hear the difference, then 피곤하다 for tiredness. 자다 and 깨다 complete the sleep vocabulary. The Korean verb conjugator tests other stems, and the Korean verb dictionary lists the rest of the family.