혼자이고 싶어요

1. 본문

The phrase "혼자이고 싶어요" translates to "I want to be alone" in English. Here's a breakdown and some related nuances:

• 혼자 (honja): This word means "alone" or "by oneself."
• -고 싶다 (-go shipda): This is a grammatical structure that expresses desire or wanting to do something. It's attached to a verb stem; in this case, the verb is "있다" (itda), meaning "to be" or "to exist".

So, "혼자이고 싶어요" directly expresses the desire to be in a state of solitude.

There are different ways and contexts you might express this sentiment in Korean, with some additional subtleties:

• (저는) 외로워요 ((jeoneun) oerowoyo): This translates to "I feel lonely" or "I'm lonely." The bracketed part "(저는)" means "I" and is optional, as the context makes it clear. This is more about the feeling of loneliness, rather than the desire for solitude.
• 혼자 있고 싶을 때가 있다 (honja itgo shipeul ttaega itda): This means "There are times when I want to be alone." This is a more general statement, indicating that the desire for solitude is occasional.
• In South Korea, a "honjok" (혼족) is someone who willingly undertakes activities alone.
• Some activities they might do are eating alone (혼밥 "honbap"), having a drink alone (혼술 "honsul"), and playing/spending leisure time alone (혼놀"honnol").

Sometimes, people want to be alone because of negative feelings. If you feel overwhelmed, you may also feel like wanting to be alone. A few places you can go to if you would like to be alone are a bookstore, comic book store, or a market.