피곤하다 (pi-gon-ha-da, pigonhada) · 졸리다 (jol-ri-da, jolrida)
'피곤하다' describes physical or mental fatigue, while '졸리다' refers specifically to feeling sleepy.
One lane per word — no nested boxes, just the gist.
Describes a state of physical or mental exhaustion or tiredness.
When to use
After exercise, After long work, Under stress
The nuance
Use 피곤하다 when expressing tiredness or exhaustion after activity; it does not specifically mean sleepiness.
Refers to feeling sleepy or drowsy, with the urge to sleep.
When to use
Feeling sleepy at night, During class, Feeling drowsy while driving
The nuance
Use 졸리다 to express the feeling of sleepiness or drowsiness, not general tiredness.
운동을 많이 해서 피곤해요.
un-dong-eul man-i hae-seo pi-gon-hae-yo., un dong eul man i hae seo pi gon hae yo.
After exercise, expressing physical tiredness is correct with 피곤하다.
운동을 많이 해서 졸려요.
un-dong-eul man-i hae-seo jol-ryeo-yo., un dong eul man i hae seo jol ryeo yo.
Saying 졸려요 after exercise is unnatural; 피곤하다 should be used.
밤새워서 너무 피곤해요.
bam-sae-wo-seo neo-mu pi-gon-hae-yo., bam sae wo seo neo mu pi gon hae yo.
After staying up all night, feeling exhausted is correctly expressed with 피곤하다.
밤새워서 너무 졸려요.
bam-sae-wo-seo neo-mu jol-ryeo-yo., bam sae wo seo neo mu jol ryeo yo.
Feeling sleepy after staying up all night correctly uses 졸리다.
수업 시간에 피곤해서 졸았어요.
su-eop si-gan-e pi-gon-hae-seo jol-ass-eo-yo., su eop si gan e pi gon hae seo jol ass eo yo.
Being tired leading to sleepiness and dozing off is natural here.
수업 시간에 졸려서 졸았어요.
su-eop si-gan-e jol-ryeo-seo jol-ass-eo-yo., su eop si gan e jol ryeo seo jol ass eo yo.
Feeling sleepy during class and dozing off is correctly expressed with 졸리다.
운전 중에 피곤해서 졸았어요.
un-jeon jung-e pi-gon-hae-seo jol-ass-eo-yo., un jeon jung e pi gon hae seo jol ass eo yo.
During driving, sleepiness should be expressed with 졸리다, not 피곤하다.
운전 중에 졸려서 위험했어요.
un-jeon jung-e jol-ryeo-seo wi-heom-haess-eo-yo., un jeon jung e jol ryeo seo wi heom haess eo yo.
Expressing drowsiness while driving correctly uses 졸리다.
Which word should you use after exercise?
Which word do you use when you feel sleepy at night?
What is the correct expression when feeling sleepy during class?
Which word should you use when feeling drowsy while driving?
What does it mean?
