Translation guide
In Japanese, 'summer vacation' is most commonly expressed as 夏休み (natsuyasumi), referring to the school summer break. For general summer holidays or time off work, other terms like 夏季休暇 (kaki kyuuka) or 夏期休暇 (kaki kyuuka) are used in formal contexts. The concept is deeply tied to the school calendar, and many cultural activities are associated with it.
The long summer holiday for students, typically from late July through August.
The standard, everyday term for the school summer vacation. Used by students, parents, and teachers alike.
When does summer vacation start?
I went to the beach during summer vacation.
A summer break from work or a summer trip, not necessarily tied to school.
Also used for non-school summer breaks, though it strongly implies a school context. Acceptable for casual reference to a summer holiday from work.
Where are you going for summer vacation this year?
Formal term for a summer break, often used in business contexts for company-wide summer holidays.
Variant of 夏季休暇, also formal. Slightly less common but interchangeable in many contexts.
Referring to the things one does during summer vacation, or the concept as a whole.
If you are taking a few days off in summer for a trip, it's more natural to say 夏の旅行 (natsu no ryokou, summer trip) or simply 休み (yasumi, break) rather than 夏休み, which implies a longer institutional break.
Many Japanese people take summer vacation around the Obon festival in mid-August. You may hear お盆休み (obon yasumi) to refer to this specific break.
Our company's summer vacation is from August 10th to 16th.
Notice of summer vacation
I haven't finished my summer vacation homework yet.