Key Facts
- Hangul: 쉬다 (swida)
- Meaning: to rest
- Level: A1
- Stem: 쉬
- Class: regular
- Polite present / past: 쉬어요 / 쉬었어요
- Honorific polite: 쉬세요
What Does 쉬다 Mean?
- to rest. Used for resting or taking a break: 집에서 쉬다.
- to take time off. Also means to be off work or school: 오늘은 쉬어요.
- to breathe. With 숨, it means to breathe: 숨을 쉬다.
쉬다 is a very common verb and usually takes no object in the resting sense. 숨을 쉬다 (to breathe) and 일을 쉬다 (to take time off work) use 을/를. Useful phrases: 쉬는 날 means a day off, 쉬는 시간 is a break, and 푹 쉬세요 is a friendly 'get some good rest'.
How Do You Pronounce 쉬다?
쉬다 is romanized swida and read as written. The vowel ㅟ is said as one quick glide, like the 'wee' in English 'week'. The stem itself never changes in sound; only some endings do:
- In the past, ㅆ moves into the next syllable: 쉬었어요 [쉬어써요].
- In the formal 쉽니다 [쉼니다], the ㅂ before ㄴ is pronounced [ㅁ].
- After the future ending -ㄹ, ㄱ becomes tense: 쉴 거예요 [쉴꺼예요].
The table below shows the 10 forms with a reading that differs from the spelling.
How Do You Use 쉬다 in a Sentence?
주말에는 집에서 쉬어요.
I rest at home on weekends.
주말에는 (at the weekend) gives the time and 집에서 (at home) the place, so this is the 'rest' sense.
어제 하루 종일 쉬었어요.
I rested all day yesterday.
하루 종일 means 'all day'. In the past, the stem 쉬 simply takes 었: 쉬었어요.
피곤하면 좀 쉬세요.
If you are tired, please rest a bit.
피곤하면 (if you are tired) sets a condition, and 좀 쉬세요 is a polite suggestion to rest a little.
How Does Swida Conjugation Work? (19 forms)
쉬다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 쉬어요 | ||
| Polite past | 쉬었어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 쉴 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 쉬겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 쉽니다 | ||
| Formal past | 쉬었습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 쉴 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 쉬어 | ||
| Casual past | 쉬었어 | ||
| Casual future | 쉴 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 쉬고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 쉬세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 쉬어서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 쉬면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 쉬는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 쉰 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 쉴 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 쉬어요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 쉬지 않아요 |
| Form | Korean | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 쉬어요 | as written |
| Polite past | 쉬었어요 | [쉬어써요] |
| Polite future | 쉴 거예요 | [쉴꺼예요] |
| Formal present | 쉽니다 | [쉼니다] |
| Casual present | 쉬어 | as written |
| Honorific | 쉬세요 | as written |
| Because | 쉬어서 | as written |
| If | 쉬면 | as written |
| Modifier now | 쉬는 | as written |
| Long negative | 쉬지 않아요 | [쉬지 아나요] |
Is 쉬다 Regular or Irregular?
쉬다 is regular. The stem 쉬 ends in the vowel ㅟ, which does not contract with 어, so you simply add the ending: 쉬어요, 쉬었어요. The rule is taught in polite present recipe.
What Is the Most Common Mistake with 쉬다?
Wrong: ✗ 쉬여요 / 쉬였어요
Correct: ✓ 쉬어요 / 쉬었어요
Why: Learners write what they hear, since 쉬어요 can sound like it has a y glide. The stem ends in ㅟ, so it takes the plain ending 어: 쉬어요, 쉬었어요.
How Is 쉬다 Different from Similar Words?
| Word | How it differs |
|---|---|
| 자다 | 자다 is to sleep; 쉬다 is to rest, which does not need sleep. |
| 놀다 | 놀다 is to play or have fun; 쉬다 is to rest and recover. |
After a Long Shift
Two coworkers are finishing work. One suggests a break, then asks about tomorrow; the other replies with a plan.
Jisu
피곤하면 좀 쉬세요.
Pigonhamyeon jom swiseyo.
If you’re tired, please rest a little.
Alex
네. 조금 쉬고 싶어요.
Ne. Jogeum swigo sipeoyo.
Yes. I want to rest a little.
Jisu
내일도 쉬어요?
Naeildo swieoyo?
Are you off tomorrow too?
Alex
네. 내일은 집에서 쉴 거예요.
Ne. Naeireun jibeseo swil geoyeyo.
Yes. Tomorrow I’m going to rest at home.
The first two lines concern recovering from tiredness. The question about tomorrow concerns a day off, and the final answer adds where the speaker plans to rest. 쉬다 covers both ideas without requiring a different verb, but neither answer says the person will sleep all day.
Resting, Taking a Day off and Being Closed
쉬는 날 is a day off. The modifier 쉬는 comes before 날, “day”, so the phrase identifies a day when someone is not working or attending their usual activity. It does not specify what they do instead: they might stay home, meet friends or travel.
A shop can also use 쉬다. 오늘은 쉽니다 means “we are closed today” when it appears at a business. The shop is taking a day off; the notice is not asking customers to relax. The formal ending 습니다 fits a public announcement even though the verb itself is everyday vocabulary.
쉬는 시간 means a break or break time, often between classes or work periods. 점심시간 is lunchtime, which names the purpose of the interval more specifically. A break might be short and happen several times in a day; a day off covers a different scale of time.
Phrases That Change the Meaning
푹 쉬세요 means “get some good rest”. 푹 suggests resting thoroughly or deeply, rather than merely stopping for a moment. It is a caring thing to say after hard work or when someone is tired. It does not literally order the person to go to sleep.
잠깐 쉬다 means to rest briefly, and 좀 쉬다 means to rest a little. 잠깐 focuses on a short time. 좀 can soften a suggestion as well as mean a small amount, so 좀 쉬세요 often sounds considerate rather than like a strict instruction about duration.
숨을 쉬다 means to breathe. 숨 is the breath and takes the object particle 을. 한숨을 쉬다 means to sigh: one audible breath expresses a reaction such as weariness or relief. The phrase names the sigh, while the scene explains the emotion; it does not always signal sadness.
What Is Tricky about 쉬다?
쉬다 and 쉽다 are different words. 쉬다 means to rest, while 쉽다 means to be easy. Their polite forms make the contrast clear: 쉬어요 is “rest” and 쉬워요 is “is easy”. The extra ㅂ in 쉽다 belongs to a different stem and a different conjugation pattern.
For 쉬다, keep 쉬 before 어요 and 었어요. There is no need to insert 여. In the future 쉴 거예요, ㄹ attaches directly to the vowel-ending stem to make 쉴. In the polite request 쉬세요, the vowel-ending stem takes 세요 without an extra 으.
일을 쉬다 means to take time off work. This use of 쉬다 has an object even though it does not describe breathing. For the basic resting sense, however, a place normally takes 에서, as in 집에서 쉬다. The noun beside the verb helps identify whether someone is resting somewhere or taking a break from an activity.
Words for Breaks and Recovery
| Related word | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 휴식 | rest / a break | A noun often used in written descriptions of rest. |
| 휴일 | day off / holiday | Names a non-working day. |
| 휴가 | leave / vacation | Time away from work or another regular duty. |
| 숨 | breath | Changes 쉬다 to the breathing sense. |
The daily routines vocabulary lesson places breaks alongside work, meals and sleep. For sleep specifically, use 자다; resting with your eyes open is still 쉬다.
Mini Drill: Rest without Adding Extra Letters
- Give the polite present of 쉬다.
- Give the polite past.
- Give the polite request form.
- Give the future plan form.
Show drill answers
- 쉬어요.
- 쉬었어요.
- 쉬세요, without 으.
- 쉴 거예요, with a space before 거예요.
Quick Self-Test
- On a shop door, what does 오늘은 쉽니다 mean?
- Which means “is easy”: 쉬어요 or 쉬워요?
- Does 한숨을 쉬다 mean taking a day off?
Show answers
- We are closed today.
- 쉬워요. It comes from 쉽다.
- No. It means to sigh.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 쉬다 a Regular or Irregular Verb?
쉬다 is regular. The stem 쉬 never changes, so the polite present is 쉬어요 and the past is 쉬었어요.
What Is the Polite Present Form of 쉬다?
It is 쉬어요, as in 주말에는 집에서 쉬어요 (I rest at home at the weekend). The past is 쉬었어요, the future is 쉴 거예요, and the honorific polite form is 쉬세요.
Does 쉬다 Take an Object?
Usually not in the basic resting sense. 숨을 쉬다 means to breathe, and 일을 쉬다 means to take time off work; both use an object marked with 을.
How Do I Say 'Breathe'?
Say 숨을 쉬다. With 숨 (breath) as its object, 쉬다 means to breathe.
What Are Common Phrases Built on 쉬다?
쉬는 날 is a day off, 쉬는 시간 is a break, and 푹 쉬세요 is a friendly way to say 'get some good rest'.
Which Words Are Related to 쉬다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Once 쉬다 feels settled, learn its opposite, 일하다 (to work), and 운동하다 (to exercise). You can check any form of 쉬다 in the Korean verb conjugator, and the verb dictionary lists every entry.