ズル休み

• 読み: ズルやすみ
• ローマ字: zuru yasumi
• 漢字の分解: ズル (sneaky, from ズルい) + 休み (rest/day off) → sneaky day off
• 発音: /zɯ.ɾɯ ja.sɯ.mi/

意味

Playing hooky or faking sick — skipping work or school without a legitimate reason.

ズル休み combines ズルい (sneaky/cheating) with 休み (day off) to describe taking a day off under false pretenses. It typically means calling in sick when you're not actually ill, or making up an excuse to skip work or school. While universally understood and privately done by many, admitting to ズル休み is considered embarrassing. In Japanese workplace culture, where attendance and dedication are highly valued, ズル休み carries more social risk than in some other countries.

例文

1. 今日ズル休みして映画見に行っちゃった。
2. ズル休みしたいけど、小さい会社だからバレそう。
3. 子どもの頃、ズル休みして親にバレてめっちゃ怒られた。

使い方ガイド

場面: friends, casual conversation, social media

トーン: playful, mischievous, guilty

正しい言い方

• 天気良すぎてズル休みしたくなるね。 (The weather's so nice, it makes you want to play hooky.)
• たまにはズル休みもいいんじゃない？ (An occasional sick day isn't so bad, right?)

避ける言い方

• SNSでズル休みを公表しない (Don't post about your fake sick day on social media — your coworkers might see it)

よくある間違い

• Using ズル休み in formal contexts or to your boss — it's strictly casual and admitting it to authority figures is risky

起源と歴史

A compound of ズル (from ズルい, sneaky/cheating) and 休み (rest/day off). A long-standing colloquial expression used by both children (for school) and adults (for work).

文化的背景

時代: Long-standing colloquial term

世代: All ages (used for both school and work)

社会的背景: Universal

地域メモ: Used across all of Japan. In a culture that values attendance, ズル休み carries more guilt and social risk than in many Western countries.