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.
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.
Spending time in a lazy or unproductive manner, not necessarily waiting for something.
Specifically filling time before a scheduled event or appointment.
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 ended up killing time looking at my phone.
I had 30 minutes until the meeting, so I took a walk to kill time.