Korean word

자다

Pronunciation

Romanizationchada

Meaning

  • verbsleep

Example

여기서 자도 돼요?yeo gi seo cha do twae yo

Can I sleep here?

Illustration for 자다 (sleep)

More examples

어제는 너무 피곤해서 일찍 잤어요.eo je neun neo mu pi gon hae seo il jjik cha sseo yo

I was so tired yesterday that I went to bed early.

Core concept

The body becomes still and relaxed while the mind moves into sleep, whether for a nap or a full night.

Common phrases

  • 밤에 자다pa me cha da

    sleep at night

  • 낮잠을 자다nat jja meul cha da

    take a nap

  • 일찍 자다il jjik cha da

    go to bed early

Similar words

주무시다chumusida: To refer politely to an older person or respected person who is sleeping.
잠들다chamdeulda: To begin sleeping as awareness gradually disappears.
낮잠 자다natjjam chada: To sleep for a short time during the day.
눈을 붙이다nuneul puchida: To have a little sleep while resting with the eyes closed.

Definition in Korean

몸을 눕혀 쉬거나 의식이 편안해져 잠의 상태가 되는 동사mo meul nu pyeo swi geo na ui si gi pyeo nan hae jeo cha mui sang tae ga toe neun tong sa

Word origin

The verb is an old native Korean word, with records showing its use for rest and sleep from early stages of the language.

Usage tips

  • Learning this as a casual verb helps show why Korean changes the verb when speaking respectfully about another person's sleep.

Other meanings

  • stay overnightverb

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word