暇

Pattern visualization

Examples

1. 今日は暇ですか。▶ —
   Are you free today?
2. 暇な時間に本を読みます。▶ —
   I read books in my free time.

Collocations

Mnemonic

ひま — 暇, Yamato. A na-adjective and a noun at once. The exact antonym of 忙しい isogashii (busy, an i-adjective). The kanji 暇 = 日 (day) + 叚 (borrow / brief) = 'a borrowed pocket of time to rest'. The character itself draws a 'briefly borrowed gap'. Register has a precise usage guide ── with friends: 今暇? (Are you free now?) ── natural. to a workplace superior: お忙しいですか? (Are you busy?) ── the polite phrasing. お暇ですか? (Are you free?) sounds casual and is awkward at work. A small cultural trap of Japanese time-keeping: asking about busyness is politer than asking about free time. A derivative ── 暇つぶし himatsubushi (killing time) = 暇 + つぶす (crush). Step into the onyomi か ka and you get ── 余暇 yoka (leisure), 休暇 kyuuka (vacation). The Korean reading ga is sister to the onyomi か.

Quick check

1. Polite way to ask a boss if they have time?

   • "Oisogashii desu ka?" — are you busy?
   • "Ohima desu ka?" — sounds casual / off
   • "Hima?" — friend-level
   • "Jikan aru?" — friend-level