Word Detail

The Japanese word 祝日 (しゅくじつ, *shukujitsu*) means "national holiday" or "public holiday." It refers to days officially designated by the government as days of rest and celebration, when many businesses, schools, and government offices are closed. These holidays commemorate various events, historical figures, or cultural traditions. 祝日 are observed throughout Japan.

⚫︎ 日本の祝日 Translation: Japanese National Holidays ⚫︎ 来週は祝日がありますか？ Translation: Is there a holiday next week? ⚫︎ 祝日は家族と過ごします。 Translation: I spend the holiday with my family.

You can use 祝日 when talking about holidays in Japan, planning activities, or discussing national events. It is a common and important word to know when interacting about Japanese culture or planning trips to Japan.

祝日 is typically written with the kanji 祝 (shuku, celebration) and 日 (jitsu, day, sun), together forming the word 祝日. The reading is しゅくじつ (shukujitsu) in hiragana. There are no other standard ways to write this word or variations in the okurigana.

There aren't direct perfect synonyms, but related terms include: ⚫︎ 祭日 (さいじつ, *saijitsu*): Festival day (can sometimes overlap with national holidays) ⚫︎ 休日 (きゅうじつ, *kyūjitsu*): Day off, holiday (broader term)

⚫︎ 平日 (へいじつ, *heijitsu*): Weekday ⚫︎ 営業日 (えいぎょうび, *eigyōbi*): Business day

今年のゴールデンウィークは祝日が多いですね。 ・Translation: This year's Golden Week has many holidays, doesn't it? ・Explanation: This sentence refers to Golden Week, a series of national holidays in Japan, and acknowledges that there are a lot of holidays during this period.

来年の祝日カレンダーをチェックしましたか？ ・Translation: Have you checked next year's holiday calendar? ・Explanation: This sentence asks if someone has looked at the calendar of national holidays for the following year.

The word 祝日 is formed by combining the kanji 祝 (shuku), which means "to celebrate" or "congratulate," with the kanji 日 (nichi/jitsu), which means "day" or "sun." Therefore, the literal meaning is "celebration day" or "holiday."