Verbs · Regular

자다 conjugation

to sleep · jada · sounds like [자다]

Short answer: “To sleep” in Korean is 자다 (jada). Polite present: 자요 (jayo); past: 잤어요 (jasseoyo); future: 잘 거예요. It is regular.

Present자요[자요] · jayo
Past잤어요[자써요] · jasseoyo
Future잘 거예요[잘 꺼예요] · jal geoyeyo
Negative안 자요[안 자요] · an jayo

Respect form: 주무시다 — “to sleep” said about someone you respect

자다 in sentences

어제 일찍 잤어요.I went to bed early yesterday.
잘 자요!Sleep well! / Good night!

All forms of 자다

Present
Polite (해요) is the everyday safe choice; formal (합니다) is for news, announcements and work; casual (반말) is for close friends and younger people.
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite-아/어요	자요	[자요]	jayo
formal-(스)ㅂ니다	잡니다	[잠니다]	jamnida
casual-아/어	자	[자]	ja
plain (written)-(느)ㄴ다	잔다	[잔다]	janda
formal question-(스)ㅂ니까?	잡니까?	[잠니까]	jamnikka?
is …ing (polite)-고 있어요	자고 있어요	[자고 이써요]	jago isseoyo

Past
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite-았/었어요	잤어요	[자써요]	jasseoyo
formal-았/었습니다	잤습니다	[잗씀니다]	jatseumnida
casual-았/었어	잤어	[자써]	jasseo
plain (written)-았/었다	잤다	[잗따]	jatda

Future
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite — will-(으)ㄹ 거예요	잘 거예요	[잘 꺼예요]	jal geoyeyo
formal-(으)ㄹ 겁니다	잘 겁니다	[잘 껌니다]	jal geomnida
casual-(으)ㄹ 거야	잘 거야	[잘 꺼야]	jal geoya
formal — I will (intention)-겠습니다	자겠습니다	[자겓씀니다]	jagetseumnida

Negative
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
not (short)안 …	안 자요	[안 자요]	an jayo
did not안 …았/었어요	안 잤어요	[안 자써요]	an jasseoyo
not (long)-지 않아요	자지 않아요	[자지 아나요]	jaji anayo
cannot못 …	못 자요	[몯 짜요]	mot jayo

Honorific
Add -(으)시- when the subject is someone you respect (a teacher, a customer, an older person) — not yourself.
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
honorific — present-(으)세요	자세요	[자세요]	jaseyo
honorific — past-(으)셨어요	자셨어요	[자셔써요]	jasyeosseoyo
honorific — formal-(으)십니다	자십니다	[자심니다]	jasimnida

Requests
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
please …-(으)세요	자세요	[자세요]	jaseyo
please … (for me)-아/어 주세요	자 주세요	[자 주세요]	ja juseyo
please don’t …-지 마세요	자지 마세요	[자지 마세요]	jaji maseyo
let’s … (formal)-(으)ㅂ시다	잡시다	[잡씨다]	japsida
let’s … (casual)-자	자자	[자자]	jaja
do … ! (casual command)-아/어라	자라	[자라]	jara

Connecting
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
… and-고	자고	[자고]	jago
… so / and then-아/어서	자서	[자서]	jaseo
if …-(으)면	자면	[자면]	jamyeon
… but-지만	자지만	[자지만]	jajiman
because …-(으)니까	자니까	[자니까]	janikka
… and / but (background)-는데	자는데	[자는데]	janeunde
even if …-아/어도	자도	[자도]	jado
while …-(으)면서	자면서	[자면서]	jamyeonseo
in order to …-(으)려고	자려고	[자려고]	jaryeogo
(go) to …-(으)러	자러	[자러]	jareo
before …-기 전에	자기 전에	[자기 저네]	jagi jeone
after …-(으)ㄴ 후에	잔 후에	[잔 후에]	jan hue

Describing a noun
These go before a noun: “the food (that) I ate”, “a cold day”.
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
(that) … now-는	자는	[자는]	janeun
(that) …ed-(으)ㄴ	잔	[잔]	jan
(that) will …-(으)ㄹ	잘	[잘]	jal

Useful patterns
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
I want to …-고 싶어요	자고 싶어요	[자고 시퍼요]	jago sipeoyo
can …-(으)ㄹ 수 있어요	잘 수 있어요	[잘 쑤 이써요]	jal su isseoyo
cannot …-(으)ㄹ 수 없어요	잘 수 없어요	[잘 쑤 업써요]	jal su eopseoyo
have to …-아/어야 해요	자야 해요	[자야 해요]	jaya haeyo
may … / it’s OK to …-아/어도 돼요	자도 돼요	[자도 돼요]	jado dwaeyo
must not …-(으)면 안 돼요	자면 안 돼요	[자면 안 돼요]	jamyeon an dwaeyo
…ing (noun)-기	자기	[자기]	jagi

How 자다 changes

자 ends in a vowel, so 자 + 아/어 becomes 자 → 자요, 잤어요. Endings written -(으) attach directly → 자면, 잘. 자다 is regular.

How every verb type works → · Why it sounds like that →

Questions

How do you say “sleep” in Korean?

“To sleep” is 자다 (jada), pronounced [자다]. In a sentence: 어제 일찍 잤어요. — I went to bed early yesterday.

What is the past tense of 자다?

잤어요 (jasseoyo) is the polite past tense of 자다 (“to sleep”). Formal: 잤습니다; casual: 잤어.

How do you say 자다 politely?

Everyday polite: 자요 (jayo). Formal: 잡니다. Casual, with close friends: 자.

How do you say “I want to sleep” in Korean?

자고 싶어요 (jago sipeoyo), pronounced [자고 시퍼요].

Is 자다 irregular?

No. 자 ends in a vowel, so 자 + 아/어 becomes 자 → 자요, 잤어요. Endings written -(으) attach directly → 자면, 잘. 자다 is regular.

More regular words like 자다

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Forms follow 한글 맞춤법 (Korean spelling rules); pronunciation follows 표준 발음법 and romanization follows 국어의 로마자 표기법 (Revised Romanization). Last updated October 16, 2026. How we check