良い休日を
yoi kyuujitsu o
In Japanese, 'have a good holiday' is said as 良い休日を (yoi kyuujitsu o).
良い休日を is most commonly used when someone is about to start a scheduled day off or a short break, rather than a long-term international trip.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to 'good holiday (object marker)'. The word 良い (yoi) means 'good', 休日 (kyuujitsu) means 'holiday/day off' and を (o) is the direct object particle.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For a more polite and formal way to express the same sentiment, you can use 良い休日をお過ごしください. If you are speaking informally, you can say Tanoshiku yasunde ne!
How does it change in a sentence?
良い休日を is an elliptical construction where the verb 'spend' or 'have' is omitted, leaving the object and the particle 'o' to imply the command or wish.
How do you pronounce it?
yoi kyuujitsu o
When do people say it?
During the New Year period, you can say Akemashite omedetou gozaimasu to mean 'Happy New Year'.
Did you know?
- The character 休 in 休日 is a compound of the radicals for 'person' and 'tree', visually representing a person leaning against a tree to rest.
- If you want to wish someone a good holiday after they have finished a long period of hard work, you might say お疲れ様 (otsukaresama), which acknowledges their effort rather than just the holiday itself.
- If someone is leaving for a trip, it is more common to say 行ってらっしゃい, which translates to 'go and come back', rather than wishing them a 'good holiday'.
Examples in context
- 良い休日を！Yoi kyūjitsu o!Have a good holiday!
- 週末は、良い休日を。Shūmatsu wa, yoi kyūjitsu o.Have a good holiday this weekend.
- 旅行を楽しんで、良い休日を。Ryokō o tanoshinde, yoi kyūjitsu o.Enjoy your trip and have a good holiday.
Example conversation
A coworker is leaving the office for a long weekend.
- 結衣 Yui大翔さん、お疲れ様でした。Hiroto-san, otsukaresama deshita.Good work, Hiroto.
- 大翔 Hirotoありがとうございます。また月曜日。Arigatō gozaimasu. Mata getsuyōbi.Thank you. See you Monday.
- 結衣 Yuiはい、良い休日を！Hai, yoi kyūjitsu o!Yes, have a good holiday!
- 大翔 Hiroto結衣さんも、良い休日を。Yui-san mo, yoi kyūjitsu o.You too, Yui, have a good holiday.
