KOREAN LEVEL UP › Korean phrases › Café & daily life › 요즘 잠을 잘 못 자요
How to Say “I haven’t been sleeping well lately” in Korean
요즘 잠을 잘 못 자요
yojeum jameul jal mot jayo
Meaning
I haven’t been sleeping well lately.
Usage note
못 expresses “cannot” because of ability or circumstances. Here 잠 is a noun, so 을 and 못 sit between it and 자요: 잠을 못 자요.
Romanization follows the Revised Romanization system and is a guide to pronunciation.
How to pronounce it
In natural speech, sounds link and shift across words. The table below reads each word separately, as it sounds when said on its own.
| Syllable | Letters (consonant + vowel + final) | Romanization |
|---|---|---|
| 요즘 | ||
| 요 | ㅇ+ㅛ | yo |
| 즘 | ㅈ+ㅡ+ㅁ | jeum |
| 잠을 | ||
| 잠 | ㅈ+ㅏ+ㅁ | [자] ja |
| 을 | ㅇ+ㅡ+ㄹ | [믈] meul |
| 잘 | ㅈ+ㅏ+ㄹ | jal |
| 못 | ㅁ+ㅗ+ㅅ | [몯] mot |
| 자요 | ||
| 자 | ㅈ+ㅏ | ja |
| 요 | ㅇ+ㅛ | yo |
A ㅇ at the start of a syllable is silent; at the end of a syllable it sounds like “ng”.
Sound changes in this phrase
- Linking: when a syllable ending in a consonant (patchim) is followed by a syllable that starts with a vowel, the consonant moves over to the next syllable. 잠을 → [자믈]
- Final-sound reduction: every final consonant is pronounced as one of seven sounds — ㄱ, ㄴ, ㄷ, ㄹ, ㅁ, ㅂ or ㅇ. 못 → [몯]
Speech style
Ends in -요. The everyday polite style, and a safe choice with shop staff, colleagues, strangers and anyone older than you.
Words in this phrase
These words from the TOPIK vocabulary lists appear in the phrase (shown in dictionary form).
| Korean | Part of speech | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 자다 | verb | to sleep | TOPIK level 1 |
Phrases that use the same word
Phrases with “자요”
- 잘 자요Sleep well. / Good night
Phrases with “잠을”
- 어젯밤에 잠을 못 잤어요I couldn’t sleep last night
Quick self-check
Test yourself before you move on. Tap an answer.
Question 1 What does “요즘 잠을 잘 못 자요” mean?
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Answer: I haven’t been sleeping well lately
Question 2 How do you say “I haven’t been sleeping well lately” in Korean?
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Answer: 요즘 잠을 잘 못 자요 yojeum jameul jal mot jayo
Learn this phrase by playing: typing drills and quizzes help it stick.
Practice in the gameMore phrases for this situation
- 자리 잡아 놓고 주문하러 갈게요I’ll save a seat and go order
- 주말에는 늦잠을 자는 편이에요I tend to sleep in on weekends
- 콘센트가 있는 자리로 옮겨도 될까요?Would it be okay to move to a seat with an outlet
- 시럽은 빼고 주세요Please leave out the syrup
- 커피 한 잔 하면서 이야기할까요?Shall we talk over a cup of coffee
- 주말에 뭐 할 거예요?What are you going to do this weekend
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