Word
休憩
Meaning in Englishbreak, rest, intermission
Animated kanji stroke order
Word context
What it means
休憩 means a short pause or break to rest or refresh during work or activity. It denotes a designated interval in which people stop working to recover energy and regain focus.
Main meanings
- primary sense: a short rest or pause during work or activity
- secondary sense: a scheduled break in a timetable or shift pattern
- nuance: a formal term used in workplaces, schools, and public facilities to indicate rest time
How to use it
Used as a noun in formal and informal contexts to denote a break during work, study, or travel. Commonly paired with verbs like 取る to indicate taking a break, or used in schedules and notices to mark break times. In workplaces and schools, it indicates a planned pause for refreshment.
Variants and close terms
- 休憩 — rest; romaji kyūkei
- 休み — rest/day off; romaji yasumi
- ブレイク — break; romaji bureiku
- 休止 — pause; romaji kyūshi
Composition
- 休 — rest; the left radical is 亻 (person) and 木 (tree), suggesting a person taking a rest beside a tree
- 憩 — repose; conveys leisure or relief from activity; used in related terms like 憩い
Etymology
休 rest + 憩 repose; the compound conveys a designated rest period used in Japanese to denote a pause in activity; the word is read kyūkei in on'yomi.
Word class
noun (名詞)