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.
電車が来るまで、カフェで時間をつぶした。
I killed time at a café until the train came.
時間をつぶすために、本を読んだ。
I read a book to kill time.
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.
休日は家でだらだら過ごすのが好きだ。
I like killing time at home on my days off.
Specifically filling time before a scheduled event or appointment.
Neutral way to say 'spend waiting time'. Can be used in various contexts.
病院の待ち時間をどう過ごしますか？
How do you kill time at the hospital?
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.
Similar to 時間をつぶす, but emphasizes having free time or being bored. '暇' means 'free time' or 'boredom'.
暇をつぶすためにゲームをした。
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.
待ち時間を潰す方法を教えてください。
Please tell me how to kill time while waiting.
Literally 'spend time wastefully'. Stronger nuance of regret or criticism about wasted time.
スマホを見て無駄に時間を過ごしてしまった。
I ended up killing time looking at my phone.
Literally 'fill time'. Used when you have a gap in your schedule and need something to do.
会議まで30分あるので、時間を埋めるために散歩した。
I had 30 minutes until the meeting, so I took a walk to kill time.