“I’ve been a bit tired lately” in Korean: 요즘 좀 피곤해요

요즘 좀 피곤해요

yojeum jom pigonhaeyo

Situation: Feelings & cheeringLevel: Beginner (TOPIK 1–2)

Meaning

I’ve been a bit tired lately.

요즘 means “these days” and 좀 softens the sentence to “a bit.” Adding 좀 keeps it from sounding like a heavy complaint.

Romanization follows the Revised Romanization system and is a guide to pronunciation.

Say it gently to explain your mood or why you must decline an invitation. The 좀 softens the sentence and avoids sounding dramatic.

요즘 covers a stretch of time. For only today, say 오늘 좀 피곤해요. A common reply is 푹 쉬세요.

Syllables: 7 · Words: 3

It is pronounced just as it is written.

Syllable	Letters (consonant + vowel + final)	Romanization
요즘
요	ㅇ+ㅛ	yo
즘	ㅈ+ㅡ+ㅁ	jeum
좀	ㅈ+ㅗ+ㅁ	jom
피곤해요
피	ㅍ+ㅣ	pi
곤	ㄱ+ㅗ+ㄴ	gon
해	ㅎ+ㅐ	hae
요	ㅇ+ㅛ	yo

A ㅇ at the start of a syllable is silent; at the end of a syllable it sounds like “ng”.

Style: Polite (해요체)Sentence type: Statement or set phrase

Ends in -요. The everyday polite style, and a safe choice with shop staff, colleagues, strangers and anyone older than you.

These words from the TOPIK vocabulary lists appear in the phrase (shown in dictionary form).

Korean	Part of speech	Meaning	Level
피곤하다	adjective	tired	TOPIK level 2

Test yourself before you move on. Tap an answer.

Question 1 What does “요즘 좀 피곤해요” mean?

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Answer: I’ve been a bit tired lately

Question 2 How do you say “I’ve been a bit tired lately” in Korean?

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Answer: 요즘 좀 피곤해요 yojeum jom pigonhaeyo

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