What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of yukkuri meaning slowly or leisurely, yasunde which is the te-form of the verb to rest and kudasai meaning please.
Which one should you use?
While ゆっくり休んでください focuses on the quality of rest and recovery, the phrase おやすみなさい means "good night" and is a standard greeting used specifically when going to bed or leaving for the night. If you wish to say "have a good vacation", use 良い休暇を.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For a more formal tone suitable for superiors or customers, you can use ゆっくりお休みください, which uses oyasumi instead of yasunde. Other formal variations include お休みになってください (please go to rest), お体を休めてください (please rest your body) and ごゆっくりお休みください (please rest well and take your time). In informal situations with friends or family, you can use ゆっくり休んでね to mean "take it easy and rest".
How does it change in a sentence?
By dropping the kudasai at the end, the phrase becomes ゆっくり休んで, which acts as an informal request or command to "rest well".
How do you pronounce it?
yukkuri yasunde kudasai
Did you know?
- The kanji for 'rest' 休 is a compound of the characters for 'person' 人 and 'tree' 木, visually depicting a person leaning against a tree.
- While 'rest well' is a kind wish in English, saying ゆっくり休んでください to a person currently working in a shop or restaurant might be confusing, as they are expected to remain active and alert.
- In a medical context, saying ゆっくり休んでください to a patient may be a gentle way for a doctor to suggest they avoid strenuous activity without using a direct medical command.
Examples in context
- ごゆっくりお休みくださいね。Please rest well and take your time, okay?
- ゆっくり休んで、また元気になってね！Rest well and get better soon!
- お体を休めて、ゆっくりと力を回復してください。Rest your body and regain your strength slowly.
- 今日はゆっくり休んでください。Kyō wa yukkuri yasunde kudasai.Please rest well today.
- 風邪ですから、ゆっくり休んでくださいね。Kaze desu kara, yukkuri yasunde kudasai ne.Since you have a cold, please rest well.
- 週末はゆっくり休んでください。Shūmatsu wa yukkuri yasunde kudasai.Please rest well over the weekend.
Example conversation
Yui is talking to Ren, who looks very tired after work.
- 結衣 Yui蓮さんはとても疲れているようですね。Ren-san wa totemo tsukarete iru yō desu ne.Ren, you look very tired.
- 蓮 Renはい、少し体が重いです。Hai, sukoshi karada ga omoi desu.Yes, my body feels a bit heavy.
- 結衣 Yui無理をしないで、ゆっくり休んでください。Muri o shinaide, yukkuri yasunde kudasai.Don't overdo it, please rest well.
- 蓮 Renありがとうございます。そうします。Arigatō gozaimasu. Sō shimasu.Thank you. I will do that.
