Translation guide
Ways to express passing or wasting time until something else happens, from casual to formal.
Spending time in a relaxed or unproductive way while waiting for something.
The most common and natural way to say 'kill time'. Literally 'crush time'. Used in casual conversation.
Spending time in a lazy or unproductive manner, not necessarily waiting for something.
To spend time lazily, doing nothing in particular. Implies a lack of purpose or energy.
Specifically filling time before a scheduled event or appointment.
Neutral way to say 'spend waiting time'. Can be used in various contexts.
The literal translation '時間を殺す' (じかんをころす) is not used in Japanese and sounds unnatural. Use 時間をつぶす instead.
I killed time at a café until the train came.
I read a book to kill time.
Similar to 時間をつぶす, but emphasizes having free time or being bored. '暇' means 'free time' or 'boredom'.
I played games to kill time.
Same as 時間をつぶす but using the kanji 潰す. Slightly more formal or written style.
Please tell me how to kill time while waiting.
I like killing time at home on my days off.
Literally 'spend time wastefully'. Stronger nuance of regret or criticism about wasted time.
I ended up killing time looking at my phone.
How do you kill time at the hospital?
Literally 'fill time'. Used when you have a gap in your schedule and need something to do.
I had 30 minutes until the meeting, so I took a walk to kill time.