祝日
shukujitsu[ɕɨkɯ̟ʑit͡sɨ]
The English phrase "national holiday" is translated into Japanese as 祝日 (shukujitsu).
祝日 is used to refer to official public holidays defined by the Japanese government, such as Marine Day or Mountain Day. Other specific examples of such holidays include 元日 (New Year's Day), 春分の日 (Vernal Equinox Day), 天皇誕生日 (Emperor's Birthday), 海の日 (Marine Day) and 敬老の日 (Respect for the Aged Day).
Meaning: public holiday (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word 祝日 is composed of 祝, meaning celebrate or congratulate and 日, meaning day.
Which one should you use?
While 祝日 refers specifically to holidays established by law, the word 休み is a more general term used for any day off, such as a weekend or a personal vacation.
How do you pronounce it?
shukujitsu
Did you know?
- The Japanese government can designate a 国民の休日 (Citizens' Holiday) to fill a single working day gap between two 祝日, effectively creating a longer vacation bridge.
- Unlike many other national holidays, the date of 天皇誕生日 changes entirely when a new Emperor takes the throne, as the 祝日 celebrates the individual person.
- When several 祝日 and weekends cluster together, Japanese people refer to the resulting long break as 連休, a term that specifically describes the 'chain' of holidays.
Examples in context
- 次の月曜は祝日です。Next Monday is a national holiday.This sentence is useful for stating that a specific upcoming Monday is a 祝日.Tatoeba #11900795 by small_snow, translation #8345123 by CK
- 「お父さん、今日は仕事に行かないの？お休み？」「あぁ、祝日だからな」"Dad, shouldn't you be at work today? Do you have a day off?" "That's right, it's a national holiday today."This dialogue shows how someone might explain that it is a day off because it is a 祝日.Tatoeba #9748965 by small_snow, translation #10070461 by tsp_2
- 11月23日は勤労感謝の日で、勤労の大切さを伝えるために制定された祝日です。November 23rd is Labor Thanksgiving Day, which was established as a national holiday to stress the importance of labor in people's minds.This sentence explains that Labor Thanksgiving Day was established as a 祝日 to stress the importance of labor.Tatoeba #1018549 by yurusu, translation #1018553 by yurusu
- 日本では、国民の祝日には多くの伝統的な行事が行われます。In Japan, various traditional events are held on national holidays.
- 来週の祝日に一緒に出かけましょう。Let's go out together on the national holiday next week.
Example conversation
Misaki and Kenta are talking about their upcoming schedule.
- 美咲 Misaki来週の月曜日は祝日だね。Raishuu no getsuyoubi wa shukujitsu dane.Next Monday is a national holiday, isn't it?
- 健太 Kentaうん、だからどこかへ遊びに行こう。Un, dakara dokoka e asobi ni ikou.Yeah, so let's go somewhere to hang out.
- 美咲 Misaki健太君、どこに行きたい？Kenta-kun, doko ni ikitai?Kenta, where do you want to go?
- 健太 Kenta海に行きたいな。Umi ni ikitai na.I want to go to the beach.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 祝日, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
