忙しい
いそがしい
hepburn isogashii
busy
Part of speech · i-adjective
Pattern visualization
Examples
- 今週は忙しいです。I'm busy this week.
- お忙しいところすみません。Sorry to bother you when you're busy.
Collocations
忙しい (isogashii, busy)お忙しいところ (oisogashii tokoro, "amid your busyness" — apology preface)多忙 (tabou, very busy — formal)暇 (hima, free / leisure — antonym)忙殺される (bousatsu sareru, "killed by busyness" — hyperbolic)
Mnemonic
忙しい isogashii — kanji 忙 = 心 (heart) + 亡 (lose) → "so busy you lose your heart". Korean uses the same kanji (read as mang) with the same metaphor. Business ritual phrase: お忙しいところすみません = "I'm sorry to interrupt during your busy moment" — the default opener for any request or inquiry that intrudes on someone's time. Standard email opening line. Onyomi ぼう (bou): 多忙 (very busy), 繁忙 (peak season). A kanji with strong emotion-meets-action metaphor.
Quick check
Cognitive metaphor in the components of 忙?