休暇|きゅうかkyuuka[0]heiban (flat)

1. nounholiday; vacation; day off; time off; leave; furlough
   私は休暇きゅうかで出でかけていました。↗

   I was out of town on vacation.

• Synonym休みやすみNeutralThe everyday default: covers rest, days off, absence and even break time. 「休暇」 is the formal leave a workplace or school grants, and leans written or institutional.
• SynonymホリデーNeutralLoanword mostly seen in product and event names and ads, for a relaxed holiday feel. For taking leave or annual leave in formal settings, 「休暇」 is still the word.
• SynonymバカンスNeutralFrench loanword for a long, summer-holiday-style vacation with a fashionable ring. Not the word for taking leave or annual leave in daily life — that is 「休暇」.
• SynonymおやすみNeutralThe polite version of 「休み」: a day off, taking leave, and also sleep or 'good night'. In speech it feels more easygoing than 「休暇」.
• SynonymバケーションNeutralLoanword for a fairly long vacation, with a stylish, leisurely flavor. 「休暇」 is a neutral, institutional term that works for both long and short leave.
• Synonym賜暇しかFormalAn old term for officials being granted leave, now almost never used. Modern civil servants also say 「休暇」.
• Related休日きゅうじつNeutralPoints to the day itself when work or school is off, such as weekends and public holidays. 「休暇」 is leave granted during time you would normally work or attend.
• Related連休れんきゅうNeutralSpecifically several days off in a row, like Golden Week or a 「三連休」. 「休暇」 does not stress continuity; it just means granted leave.
• Related暇ひまCasualAt heart it means having nothing to do, free time on your hands; it can also mean a gap during work. For formal leave, 「休暇」 is the clearer choice.
• Related一休みひとやすみCasualA short breather, and it works as a verb: 「一休みする」. 「休暇」 is leave granted by an institution, not a moment's rest.
• RelatedブレイクCasualLoanword; in its rest sense it means a short break between stretches of work, and it also means becoming popular or a hit. Far removed from granted leave like 「休暇」.
• Related休憩きゅうけいNeutralA pause partway through an activity, like a lunch break or intermission. 「休暇」 is granted time off from work or school.
• Related祝日しゅくじつNeutralSpecifically national statutory holidays like New Year's Day or National Foundation Day. 「休暇」 is leave a workplace or school grants, such as annual or summer leave.
• Related余暇よかWrittenLeisure time outside work or study, with the focus on how you use it. 「休暇」 is leave granted by an institution.
• Related休息きゅうそくWrittenStopping activity so the body can rest; the point is recovering strength. 「休暇」 is time off work and says nothing about resting itself.
• Related公休こうきゅうWrittenA workplace-recognized rotating day off or a shop's regular closing day; found in labor and official usage. 「休暇」 is broader, covering annual leave too.
• Related公休日こうきゅうびWrittenA rest day fixed by law or regulations; an institutional term that is rarely seen. In daily speech 「休日」 or 「祝日」 is enough.
• Related小憩しょうけいWrittenWritten language for a brief rest or a moment's repose. Unlike 「休暇」, it is not leave granted by an institution.
• Antonym勤務きんむWrittenIts opposite on the work side: reporting to one's workplace or post to carry out duties. 「休暇」 is precisely time away from 「勤務」.
• Antonym労働ろうどうWrittenIts opposite in the sense of working: labor that expends physical or mental effort, common in economic and legal contexts. 「休暇」 is time away from such work.

Everyday talk about taking a day off or asking for leave uses 「休み」; 「休暇」 is the formal word for leave a workplace or school grants — annual or paid leave — and leans written. Use 「休日」 or 「祝日」 for the day itself, 「連休」 for consecutive days off, 「休憩」 or 「一休み」 for short breaks, 「バカンス」 or 「バケーション」 for a stylish long vacation, 「余暇」 for leisure time, and 「お休み」 as the polite, easygoing 「休み」. The rest — 「ホリデー」, 「賜暇」, 「ブレイク」 and the like — are narrower, rarer or register-marked; 「勤務」 and 「労働」 are antonyms.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

1. 会社かいしゃや学校がっこうで認みとめられた、休日きゅうじつ以外いがいの休やすみ。