休み（やすみ、yasumi）
- rest

The Japanese word 休み (やすみ - yasumi) primarily means "rest," "break," "holiday," or "vacation." It signifies a period of time away from work, school, or other regular activities. It can refer to time taken off for relaxation, a scheduled holiday, or even a temporary stoppage. The specific nuance depends on the context. 休み can also imply a state of being at leisure, not being busy, or taking time off from one's normal routine.

⚫︎ 今日は休みです。 Translation: Today is a holiday/day off. ⚫︎ 夏休みはどこかへ行きますか？ Translation: Are you going anywhere during summer vacation? ⚫︎ 少し休みましょう。 Translation: Let's take a little break.

⚫︎ Use 休み when discussing days off, vacations, or breaks. ⚫︎ It's common in phrases related to work, school, and leisure activities. ⚫︎ Pay attention to the surrounding context to understand whether it refers to a specific period of time (like a holiday) or a general state of rest.

⚫︎ The word is most commonly written with the kanji 休み. ⚫︎ The hiragana reading is やすみ. ⚫︎ There are no other common ways to write this word. ⚫︎ There are no variations in okurigana.

⚫︎ 休暇 (きゅうか - kyuuka) - vacation, holiday (formal) ⚫︎ 休憩 (きゅうけい - kyuukei) - break, rest ⚫︎ 休日 (きゅうじつ - kyuujitsu) - holiday, day off

⚫︎ 仕事 (しごと - shigoto) - work, job ⚫︎ 活動 (かつどう - katsudou) - activity

来週は会社の休みです。 ・Translation: Next week is a holiday for the company. ・Explanation: This sentence indicates a scheduled holiday, where the company is not operating.

疲れたから、少し休みたい。 ・Translation: I'm tired, so I want to rest for a while. ・Explanation: This sentence expresses a desire to take a break from an activity due to tiredness.

The kanji 休 means "rest" or "to take a break," and み is a suffix that often creates nouns. The word 休み is thus a compound word directly related to the idea of resting or being at ease.