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.
彼の怠惰な態度に腹が立った。
I was annoyed by his lazy attitude.
A habit of being lazy; often used for a personal tendency to avoid work.
怠け癖がついてしまった。
I've gotten into the habit of being lazy.
Sloth or indolence, often used in compounds like 無精者 (lazy person) or 無精ひげ (stubble from not shaving).
彼は無精者だ。
He's a lazy bum.
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.
暇なときに映画を見ます。
I watch movies when I have free time.
暇すぎて死にそう。
I'm so bored I could die.
Leisure time, often used in formal contexts like surveys or work-life balance discussions.
余暇の過ごし方を教えてください。
Please tell me how you spend your leisure time.
Leisure; a literary or formal term, rarely used in conversation.
閑暇を楽しむ。
Enjoy one's leisure.
The state of not having a job or being out of work.
Unemployment; the state of being jobless. Used in economic and personal contexts.
失業中で収入がない。
I'm unemployed and have no income.
Having no occupation; often used on forms or to describe someone who doesn't work.
彼は無職だ。
He is unemployed.
The act of not doing anything, often implying wasting time.
Literally 'do nothing'; a straightforward way to express idleness.
今日は一日中何もしなかった。
I did nothing all day today.
To loaf around, hang about doing nothing. Casual.
休日は家でぶらぶらして過ごした。
I spent the holiday loafing around at home.
Living in idleness; eating without working. A literary or critical term.
徒食の徒
An idle person who lives off others.
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.
週末は何もしないでのんびりするのが好きです。
I enjoy idleness on weekends.
Natural phrasing; avoids direct translation of 'idleness'