Which one should you use?
The phrase 忙しい？ is a casual version used with friends or family that omits the polite desu ka ending. For a more respectful tone when speaking to superiors or clients, you can add the honorific prefix o to the start of the word to form お忙しいですか？ While 忙しいですか？ is a standard polite way to ask the question, the alternative お時間（じかん）はございますか specifically means "Do you have time?" and serves as a formal way to inquire about availability.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
忙しい？ is the informal and straightforward way to ask the question, suitable for close friends or family. 忙しいですか？ is the polite and formal way to ask. To increase the level of politeness for superiors or clients, use お忙しいですか？ by adding the respectful prefix o. In professional settings, it is often considered more polite to use the phrase お時間（じかん）はございますか (Do you have time?) or 今、お時間ありますか？ (Do you have time now?) instead of using the word for busy.
How does it change in a sentence?
The informal version 今（いま）忙（いそが）しい？ includes the word for "now" to ask if someone is busy at this exact moment.
How do you pronounce it?
isogashii desu ka?
Did you know?
- The kanji for 忙しい consists of two parts: 'heart' and 'death'. Together they visually suggest a heart under the pressure of death.
- A common response to 忙しい？ among close friends is バタバタしてる (batabata shiteru), which mimics the sound of running around frantically.
- In a business email, instead of asking if someone is 'busy', it is standard to use a set phrase like お忙しいところ失礼いたします which translates to 'I apologize for interrupting you while you are busy'.
Examples in context
- 今、忙しいですか？ima, isogashii desu ka?Are you busy right now?
- 明日は忙しいですか？ashita wa isogashii desu ka?Are you busy tomorrow?
Example conversation
Yui calls Yota to see if he can talk.
- 結衣 Yui陽太君、今、忙しいですか？Yota-kun, ima, isogashii desu ka?Yota, are you busy right now?
- 陽太 Yotaいえ、大丈夫ですよ。Iie, daijoubu desu yo.No, I'm free.
- 結衣 Yui少し話せますか？Sukoshi hanasemasu ka?Can we talk for a bit?
- 陽太 Yotaはい、もちろんです。Hai, mochiron desu.Yes, of course.
