Translation guide
The act of delaying or postponing something, often unnecessarily. Japanese expresses this through verbs, nouns, and idiomatic phrases that emphasize putting things off, leaving them undone, or dragging them out.
To express the general habit or act of delaying tasks, often due to laziness or avoidance.
The most direct and common noun for procrastination. Literally 'postponing ahead'. Used for both the act and the habit.
先延ばし癖を直したい。
I want to fix my procrastination habit.
仕事の先延ばしはよくない。
Procrastinating on work is not good.
To put something off until later; to postpone in favor of other things. Very common in daily speech.
宿題を後回しにしてゲームをした。
I put off my homework and played games.
嫌なことはつい後回しにしてしまう。
I tend to put off unpleasant things.
To dawdle, dilly-dally, or procrastinate by being slow to act. Often implies hesitation or laziness.
ぐずぐずしてないで、早く始めよう。
Stop procrastinating and let's get started.
Formal term for delay or postponement, often used in business or technical contexts. Not typically used for personal procrastination.
プロジェクトの遅延が問題になった。
The project delay became a problem.
To emphasize that something remains unfinished because of procrastination.
To leave something undone or unfinished. Often used when procrastination leads to incomplete tasks.
レポートをやり残してしまった。
I ended up leaving the report unfinished.
To leave something as it is without dealing with it; to neglect. Implies a longer period of inaction.
問題を放置すると、もっと悪化する。
If you procrastinate on the problem, it will get worse.
To describe procrastination that results in something taking much longer than necessary.
To drag something out lazily; to prolong without good reason. Emphasizes the sluggishness of procrastination.
会議をだらだらと引き延ばさないでください。
Please don't drag out the meeting.
Postponement, especially of decisions or problems. Often used in business or policy contexts.
問題の先送りは解決にならない。
Postponing the problem is not a solution.
先延ばし is a noun for the act or habit of procrastination, while 後回しにする is a verb phrase meaning to put something off. Use 先延ばし for the concept ('Procrastination is my weakness') and 後回しにする for the action ('I procrastinated on my homework').
There is no single Japanese word that perfectly matches 'procrastination' in all contexts. Avoid trying to translate it as a standalone noun in every case; often a verb phrase like 後回しにする or 先延ばしにする is more natural.