1.
I'm tired, I'm exhausted, I'm worn out
A common casual expression stating that one is tired. The past tense form of 疲れる, used as a standalone exclamation rather than as a verb in a sentence.
ああ、つかれた。
Ahh, I'm tired.
つかれた is one of the most common everyday expressions in Japanese. While it is grammatically the past tense of 疲れる (to get tired), it functions as a present-state exclamation meaning "I am tired" — because the act of becoming tired is complete, resulting in the current state.
WHY PAST TENSE?
Japanese often uses the past tense of change-of-state verbs to describe the resulting condition: つかれた (I got tired → I'm tired), おなかすいた (I got hungry → I'm hungry). This is a natural pattern, not unusual grammar.
Forms
- つかれた: casual, standalone exclamation
- つかれたー: drawn out, emphasizes exhaustion
- 疲れました: polite equivalent
- 疲れた〜: whiny or sighing tone
Writing
In this exclamatory form, hiragana つかれた is more common than the kanji form 疲れた. The kanji form appears more in written sentences.