잠이 쏟아지다.
jami ssodajida.
Feel very sleepy.
Phrase in 30 Seconds
Use this when you are so sleepy that it feels like sleep is physically pouring down on your head.
- Means: To feel an overwhelming, sudden wave of drowsiness.
- Used in: Boring lectures, after heavy meals, or late-night study sessions.
- Don't confuse: It is much stronger and more sudden than just 'feeling sleepy' (졸리다).
Explanation at your level:
意思
To feel an overwhelming urge to sleep, as if sleep is pouring down on you.
文化背景
The 'Pali-pali' culture often leads to chronic sleep deprivation. Admitting '잠이 쏟아지다' is a common social bonding mechanism among workers and students. Napping at the desk for 10-20 minutes is increasingly accepted in some tech companies as a way to handle 'pouring sleep' and increase productivity. High school seniors often use this phrase to describe their struggle during the '0th period' (early morning) classes. In K-Dramas, a character 'nodding off' (꾸벅꾸벅 졸다) because '잠이 쏟아져서' is a classic trope to show they have been working hard to support their family.
Use with '죽겠다'
To sound like a native, add '-어 죽겠다' (dying of...). '잠이 쏟아져서 죽겠어요' is a very natural way to complain about being tired.
Subject Particle
Never use '을/를' with 쏟아지다. It's always '잠이'.
意思
To feel an overwhelming urge to sleep, as if sleep is pouring down on you.
Use with '죽겠다'
To sound like a native, add '-어 죽겠다' (dying of...). '잠이 쏟아져서 죽겠어요' is a very natural way to complain about being tired.
Subject Particle
Never use '을/를' with 쏟아지다. It's always '잠이'.
Polite Excuses
If you need to leave a social gathering early because you're tired, using this phrase makes it sound like a physical necessity rather than a lack of interest.
Visualizing the Verb
Think of '쏟아지다' as a bucket of water being flipped. It's fast and heavy.
自我测试
Fill in the blank with the correct form of the phrase.
어제 잠을 못 자서 아침부터 잠이 ( ).
The standard expression for overwhelming sleepiness is '잠이 쏟아지다'.
Which situation is most appropriate for using '잠이 쏟아지다'?
다음 중 '잠이 쏟아지다'를 쓰기에 가장 적절한 상황은?
It is best used for sudden, overwhelming waves of sleepiness, like a 'food coma'.
Complete the dialogue naturally.
가: 왜 자꾸 눈을 감고 있어요? 나: 미안해요. 아까부터 ( ) 참기가 힘드네요.
'잠이 쏟아져서' provides the reason for why it's hard to keep one's eyes open.
Match the phrase to the physical sensation.
Match '잠이 쏟아지다' with its physical description.
The phrase describes the heavy, downward pressure of extreme sleepiness.
🎉 得分： /4
视觉学习工具
Intensity of Sleepiness
常见问题
12 个问题It's not rude if you are explaining why you look tired, but saying it *while* they are talking might imply they are boring. Use with caution!
Yes! '비가 쏟아지다' means it's pouring rain. The grammar is exactly the same.
'졸리다' is the general verb for 'to be sleepy'. '잠이 쏟아지다' is a more descriptive, stronger collocation.
You can say '쏟아지는 잠을 참다' or '쏟아지는 잠을 쫓다'.
No, it's too informal/descriptive for an email. Use '피로가 누적되어...' (fatigue has accumulated) instead.
The verb '쏟아지다' is native Korean. '잠' is also native. The hanja equivalent for sleep is {수면|睡眠}.
Not necessarily. It describes the *feeling* of sleep coming on. If you actually fell asleep, you'd say '잠이 들었다'.
Yes! '돈이 쏟아지다' is a common expression for making a lot of money suddenly.
It is completely gender-neutral.
There isn't a direct 'pouring' opposite, but '잠이 달아나다' (sleep runs away) means you suddenly feel wide awake.
Yes, '눈물이 쏟아지다' means to burst into tears.
Yes, it's perfect for diary entries about a long day.
相关表达
졸음이 밀려오다
similarDrowsiness washes in like a tide.
눈꺼풀이 무겁다
similarEyelids are heavy.
비몽사몽
builds onHalf-asleep, half-awake.
식곤증
specialized formPost-meal drowsiness.
잠을 깨다
contrastTo wake up / To shake off sleep.
在哪里用
Post-Lunch at the Office
Colleague A: 지수 씨, 얼굴이 안 좋아 보여요. 괜찮아요?
Colleague B: 아, 네. 점심을 너무 든든하게 먹었나 봐요. 지금 잠이 쏟아져서 죽겠어요.
Late Night Library
Friend A: 야, 너 졸고 있지?
Friend B: 어... 미안. 갑자기 잠이 쏟아져서 나도 모르게 눈이 감겼어.
Driving a Long Distance
Passenger: 졸리면 제가 운전할까요?
Driver: 고마워요. 갑자기 잠이 쏟아지네요. 다음 휴게소에서 바꿔요.
Boring Lecture
Student A: 오늘 교수님 목소리 진짜 자장가 같다.
Student B: 맞아. 나 아까부터 잠이 쏟아지는 거 참느라 허벅지 찔렀어.
After an All-Nighter
Boss: 김 대리, 어제 야근했나? 피곤해 보이네.
Employee: 네, 보고서 마무리하느라요. 아침부터 잠이 쏟아져서 커피만 다섯 잔째예요.
Watching a Movie
Partner: 이 영화 어때? 재밌지?
Self: 미안, 나 피곤한가 봐. 영화는 좋은데 자꾸 잠이 쏟아지네.
Memorize It
Mnemonic
Imagine a 'Sleep Waterfall' (잠-Waterfall) pouring onto your head, making your eyelids too heavy to lift.
Visual Association
Picture a student sitting at a desk with a giant bucket of blue 'sleep water' being tipped over their head by a cloud. Their head is nodding down as the water hits.
Rhyme
잠이 쏟아져, 눈이 감겨져 (Jam-i ssod-a-jyeo, nun-i gam-gyeo-jyeo - Sleep pours down, eyes are closed).
Story
You are in a desert of work. Suddenly, a 'Sleep Storm' arrives. Instead of rain, 'Sleep' (잠) starts 'Pouring' (쏟아지다) from the sky. You try to use a coffee-cup umbrella, but the sleep is too heavy.
Word Web
挑战
Next time you feel a 'food coma' after lunch, tell a friend or colleague: '아, 점심 먹었더니 잠이 쏟아지네요!'
In Other Languages
To be dead tired / Can't keep my eyes open
English focuses on the state of the person, Korean focuses on the movement of the sleepiness.
眠気が襲う (Nemu-ke ga osou)
Japanese feels more like a sudden assault, Korean feels like a heavy, continuous pressure.
困意来袭 (Kùn yì lái xí)
Chinese often uses more formal-sounding four-character structures in writing.
Caerse de sueño
Spanish focuses on the person falling, whereas Korean focuses on the sleep pouring.
Avoir un sommeil de plomb
French uses a noun-based weight metaphor, Korean uses a verb-based liquid metaphor.
Die Augen fallen mir zu
German is more descriptive of the physical symptom.
يغلبه النعاس (Yaghlibuhu an-nu'as)
Arabic frames it as a contest of wills, Korean as a natural disaster.
Morrendo de sono
Portuguese is more hyperbolic and less descriptive of the sensation itself.
Easily Confused
Both mean 'to be sleepy'.
'잠이 오다' is neutral and mild. '잠이 쏟아지다' is intense and overwhelming.
Learners think they can 'pour' sleep as an action.
You cannot 'pour' sleep; sleep 'pours' itself on you. Always use '이 쏟아지다'.
常见问题 (12)
It's not rude if you are explaining why you look tired, but saying it *while* they are talking might imply they are boring. Use with caution!
Yes! '비가 쏟아지다' means it's pouring rain. The grammar is exactly the same.
'졸리다' is the general verb for 'to be sleepy'. '잠이 쏟아지다' is a more descriptive, stronger collocation.
You can say '쏟아지는 잠을 참다' or '쏟아지는 잠을 쫓다'.
No, it's too informal/descriptive for an email. Use '피로가 누적되어...' (fatigue has accumulated) instead.
The verb '쏟아지다' is native Korean. '잠' is also native. The hanja equivalent for sleep is {수면|睡眠}.
Not necessarily. It describes the *feeling* of sleep coming on. If you actually fell asleep, you'd say '잠이 들었다'.
Yes! '돈이 쏟아지다' is a common expression for making a lot of money suddenly.
It is completely gender-neutral.
There isn't a direct 'pouring' opposite, but '잠이 달아나다' (sleep runs away) means you suddenly feel wide awake.
Yes, '눈물이 쏟아지다' means to burst into tears.
Yes, it's perfect for diary entries about a long day.
