Translation guide
The state of not working or being active, often with a nuance of laziness or leisure. Japanese expressions vary by context: laziness, free time, unemployment, or simply doing nothing.
Describing a person's character or temporary state of avoiding work or effort.
A formal or literary word for laziness or sloth, often used in serious contexts.
I was annoyed by his lazy attitude.
A habit of being lazy; often used for a personal tendency to avoid work.
Sloth or indolence, often used in compounds like 無精者 (lazy person) or 無精ひげ (stubble from not shaving).
Having time with nothing to do, often in a positive or neutral sense.
Free time; can also imply idleness or having nothing to do. Very common in daily conversation.
The state of not having a job or being out of work.
Unemployment; the state of being jobless. Used in economic and personal contexts.
The act of not doing anything, often implying wasting time.
Literally 'do nothing'; a straightforward way to express idleness.
English 'idleness' often sounds formal or literary. In Japanese, it's more natural to use specific words like 暇 (free time), 怠ける (to be lazy), or 失業 (unemployment) depending on context. Using 怠惰 in casual conversation may sound stiff.
怠惰 is a formal, often moral judgment of laziness. 怠け癖 is a personal habit of laziness, less severe and more colloquial.
怠け癖がついてしまった。
I've gotten into the habit of being lazy.
He's a lazy bum.
暇なときに映画を見ます。
I watch movies when I have free time.
I'm so bored I could die.
Leisure time, often used in formal contexts like surveys or work-life balance discussions.
Please tell me how you spend your leisure time.
Leisure; a literary or formal term, rarely used in conversation.
Enjoy one's leisure.
I'm unemployed and have no income.
Having no occupation; often used on forms or to describe someone who doesn't work.
He is unemployed.
I did nothing all day today.
To loaf around, hang about doing nothing. Casual.
I spent the holiday loafing around at home.
Living in idleness; eating without working. A literary or critical term.
An idle person who lives off others.
He lives in idleness.
Formal/literary
I enjoy idleness on weekends.
Natural phrasing; avoids direct translation of 'idleness'