祝日
shukujitsu[ɕɨkɯ̟ʑit͡sɨ]
The Japanese phrase for "public holiday" is 祝日 (shukujitsu). If unsure, use 祝日. Wiktionary also lists 祭日 (saijitsu) and 休日 (kyūjitsu).
Meaning: national or regional holiday from work on a specific day (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 祝日 | shukujitsu | [ɕɨkɯ̟ʑit͡sɨ] (narrow) |
| 祭日 | saijitsu | [sa̠iʑit͡sɨ] (narrow) |
| 休日 | kyūjitsu | [kʲɨːʑit͡sɨ] (narrow) |
| 公休 | kōkyū | [ko̞ːkʲɨː] (narrow) |
| 公休日 | kōkyūbi | [ko̞ːkʲɨːbʲi] (narrow) |
The term 祝日 refers to a national or regional holiday from work on a specific day.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 祝日 is composed of the characters for "celebrate" and "day".
Which one should you use?
While 祝日 specifically refers to holidays established by law, such as National Foundation Day, 休日 is a more general term for any day off or non-working day. Furthermore, 休日 can refer to a personal day off or a weekend, rather than being limited to a public holiday.
How do you pronounce it?
shukujitsu
Did you know?
- The character 休 in 休日 is a pictograph showing a 'person' standing next to a 'tree', symbolizing someone taking a break in the shade.
- Japan has a phenomenon called ゴールデンウィーク or 'Golden Week' where several 祝日 cluster together in late April and early May, creating a massive travel rush.
- When a 祝日 falls between two non-holiday weekdays, it is called 国民の休日 or 'Citizens' Holiday' to create a three-day weekend.
Examples in context
- 東京の日経新聞は、祝日のため休刊日でした。The Nikkei in Tokyo was closed for a public holiday.This sentence is useful for describing a newspaper that was closed because of a 祝日.Tatoeba #8973288 by small_snow, translation #8971612 by Hybrid
- 明日は祝日です。Tomorrow is a public holiday.
- 来週の月曜日は祝日です。Raishū no getsuyōbi wa shukujitsu desu.Next Monday is a public holiday.
- 祝日は銀行も休みです。Shukujitsu wa ginkō mo yasumi desu.Banks are also closed on public holidays.
Example conversation
Two friends are checking the calendar for a trip.
- 美咲 Misaki来週、祝日はありますか？Raishū, shukujitsu wa arimasu ka?Is there a public holiday next week?
- 陽太 Yotaはい、月曜日が祝日ですよ。Hai, getsuyōbi ga shukujitsu desu yo.Yes, Monday is a public holiday.
- 美咲 Misakiじゃあ、旅行に行けますね。Jā, ryokō ni ikemasu ne.Then, we can go on a trip.
- 陽太 Yotaいいですね。楽しみです！Ii desu ne. Tanoshimi desu!That's great. I'm looking forward to it!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “public holiday” translations and entries 祝日, 祭日, 休日, 公休, 公休日, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 休日, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
