I’m Exhausted in Korean

Hi guys, it’s your Korean Teacher Jun! Do you remember what you’ve learned in the previous lesson? Yes, it was ‘I’m tired’, 피곤해요. However, you can use 피곤해요 only when you are tired for a day and it wasn’t much natural when you have no stamina after some exercises. Hmm… Then how can we say ‘I’m so tired’ after jogging or working out? Today we are going to learn another essential phrase to say I’m tired in Korean.

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Warm Up Your Brain

Again, tell me how to say I’m tired for a day in Korean! Answer it in 5 seconds without looking what I just wrote above lol

How To Say I’m Exhausted in Korean

지쳤어요

[jichyeo-sseoyo]
I’m tired / exhausted

Basic form : 지치다
반말(informal non-honorific) form : 지쳤어
Negative form with 해요 speech style : 안지쳤어요

지치다 is the opposite of ‘피곤하다’. You can say it when you are tired because of some exercise, out of stamina or you are physically worn out. ‘To be exhausted’ is also a perfect translation for 지치다. Native Koreans use 지치다 usually to describe a temporary tiredness. Of course, you can use 지치다 after day ends also when you are totally exhausted. 

For Emotional Tiredness

지치다 can be used to describe the emotional tiredness or to say ‘being tired of someone’. When you use 지치다 to say ‘being tired / sick of someone’, normally it’s used with 2nd person, 2nd person’s action, 3rd person’s action. However, it’s a very, very strong expression when you use it to say you are tired of someone else.

너 정말 지친다
I’m really tired of you

Which One is More Common?

Koreans use both words often, however it’s really easy to hear ‘피곤하다’ more often than ‘지치다’ since 지치다 is more suitable to use after working out or physical labors. Personally, I really don’t have many chance to say ‘지치다’ in my real life.

How To Use

A: 완전 지쳤어요
I’m totally exhausted
B: 잠깐 앉아서 쉴까요?
Want us to sit and take a break a bit?

A: 계속 할 수 있겠어요?
Can you keep doing it?
B: 지치지만 계속 해볼게요
I’m tired but I’ll keep trying

A: 숨쉬는 거 정말 지치네요!
Breathing is really exhausting!
B: 정말 그렇죠?
I know right?

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To Tire Someone in Korean

You can use 지치다 to say ‘tire someone’ by using -게 하다 ending. In this case, it means almost same to ‘to make someone tired’. When a subject is a person such as ‘he’, ‘I’, it has only bad nuances.

지치게하다
To make someone tired

-게 하다 Ending

-게 하다 ending describes the subject makes another person (the object) to do / be something. Sometimes, it sounds forcing someone to do but it mostly means neutral. You can use 게 하다 ending for almost every verbs and adjectives.

준씨가 이거 먹게 해요
Make Jun eat this

저는 매일 준씨를 예쁘게 해요
I make Jun pretty everyday

Vocabulary Note

완전 [wanjeon] : totally
잠깐 [jamkkan] : for a short moment
앉다 [andda] : to sit
쉬다 [swida] : take a break / rest
계속 하다 [gesok hada] : to continue / to keep doing
숨쉬다 [sum-suida] : to breath
정말 [jeongmal] : really
이거 [igeo] : this [pronoun]
먹다 [meokdda] : to eat
매일 [mel] : everyday
예쁘다 [yebbeuda] : to be pretty