暇・閑|ひまhima[0]heiban (flat)
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Which spelling to use
暇暇 is the most common written form and the default choice for beginners. Use it when writing this word.
閑閑 is rarely used, so you will seldom see it. Recognize it as an alternative written form, but use 暇 instead.
Definitions
- nounspare time; free time; leisure
- nountime (it takes to do something); time required
- nountime off; leave; vacation; holiday
- noundismissal; firing; severance; divorce
- na-adjectivefree; not busy; unoccupied; idle
- na-adjectiveslow (business); slack; dull
- suru verb, intransitive verbto be free; to be not busy; to be available; to be doing nothing
Conjugation
| Dictionary form | 暇する（ひまする） |
|---|---|
| Polite (masu) | 暇します（ひまします） |
| Negative (nai) | 暇しない（ひましない） |
| polite (masen) | 暇しません（ひましません） |
| classical zu / nu | 暇せず・暇せぬ（ひませず・ひませぬ） |
| Past (ta) | 暇した（ひました） |
| polite (mashita) | 暇しました（ひましました） |
| Past negative (nakatta) | 暇しなかった（ひましなかった） |
| polite (masen deshita) | 暇しませんでした（ひましませんでした） |
| Te form | 暇して（ひまして） |
| Potential | 暇できる（ひまできる） |
| Passive | 暇される（ひまされる） |
| Causative | 暇させる（ひまさせる） |
| Causative passive | 暇させられる（ひまさせられる） |
| Conditional (ba) | 暇すれば（ひますれば） |
| tara | 暇したら（ひましたら） |
| Volitional | 暇しよう（ひましよう） |
| polite (mashou) | 暇しましょう（ひましましょう） |
| Imperative | 暇しろ（ひましろ） |
Common forms generated by rule; see the senses for honorific or irregular usage.
Synonyms & antonyms
- Synonym余暇よかWrittenLeisure time away from work that you can spend as you like, as in 「余暇を楽しむ」; more formal than 「暇」.
- Synonym閑暇かんかWrittenWritten word for leisure or idle time; very rare, and everyday speech just uses 「暇」.
- SynonymフリータイムNeutralLoanword for time free from work or study; also often the free-activity slot on a travel itinerary. Sounds more like a scheduled block than 「暇」.
- Synonym空き時間あきじかんNeutralTime left open between commitments, as in 「授業の空き時間」; stresses the gap in a schedule rather than idleness.
- Synonym自由時間じゆうじかんNeutralTime free of tasks that you can spend however you like; a common everyday word, typically used for schools and group activities.
- Related休暇きゅうかWrittenLeave granted by a company or school, as in 「有給休暇」; 「暇」 is simply having nothing to do.
- RelatedおやすみCasualA polite way to refer to a day off or holiday, common in everyday speech; it is also the bedtime greeting 「おやすみ」.
- Related休みやすみNeutralA broader, everyday word covering both rest and days off; 「暇」 stresses having nothing to do.
- RelatedホリデーCasualLoanword for a holiday, used mostly in compounds such as 「ホリデーシーズン」.
- Related休日きゅうじつNeutralThe day on which work or school is off, as in 「休日出勤」; points to the date rather than the feeling of being free.
- Related有閑ゆうかんWrittenWritten word for being leisured and well-off in free time, as in 「有閑階級」, sometimes ironic; 「暇」 is the everyday, general word and also covers time required or time off.
- Related閑かんWrittenWritten word, rarely used alone; mostly in compounds such as 「閑散」 and 「農閑期」.
- Related公暇こうかFormalOfficial leave for government officials in olden times; a historical term not used today.
- Related公休こうきゅうFormalA company's regular scheduled day off, as in 「公休を取る」; common in the service industry.
- Related公休日こうきゅうびFormalA rest day fixed by law or rules; formal. 「暇」 is personal free time.
- Related賜暇しかFormalLeave granted to officials in former times; a historical term not used today.
- Antonym忙FormalThe opposite of 「暇」, meaning busy; on its own it appears mostly in compounds such as 「多忙」 and 「繁忙」.
For free time with nothing to do, the default is 「暇」. Use 「余暇」 for leisure time in formal prose, 「空き時間」 for gaps in a schedule, 「休暇」 for granted leave and 「休日」 for days off; for busy use 「忙しい」. 「休み」 is the broad everyday word for rest and holidays, and 「自由時間」 suits schools and group activities. 「閑暇」, 「閑」 and 「有閑」 are written words, while 「公暇」 and 「賜暇」 are historical terms no longer used.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese definitions
Kanji in this word
English equivalents
See also
