休講

• Reading: きゅうこう
• Romaji: kyūkō
• Kanji breakdown: 休 (rest/suspend) + 講 (lecture) → suspended lecture / class cancellation
• Pronunciation: /kjɯː.koː/

Meaning

A cancelled class or lecture — one of the most celebrated words in a university student's vocabulary.

休講 is the official term for when a professor cancels a scheduled lecture. Reasons include illness, academic conferences, typhoons, or transportation disruptions. For students, a 休講 notification is a cause for celebration — especially for early morning classes. Universities typically post 休講 information on bulletin boards or portal sites. While officially regrettable, students often secretly hope for 休講, especially during exam preparation periods when self-study time is precious.

Examples

1. 来週の月曜、先生が学会で休講だって。ラッキー！ The professor has a conference next Monday, so class is cancelled. Lucky!
2. 休講の連絡が遅すぎて大学着いてから知ったんだけど。 They sent out the cancellation notice too late — I didn't find out until I was already on campus.
3. 今日3限休講になったから空きコマ3連続だわ。 Third period got cancelled today, so now I've got three free periods in a row.

Usage Guide

Context: university, academic, friends

Tone: neutral to excited

Do Say

• 明日の2限、休講だってよ。 (Apparently second period is cancelled tomorrow.)
• 台風で全部休講にならないかな。 (I wonder if all classes will be cancelled because of the typhoon.)

Don't Say

• 教授に「もっと休講にしてください」は言えない (You can't ask a professor to cancel more classes)

Common Mistakes

• Confusing 休講 with 欠席 — 休講 is when the professor cancels the class; 欠席 is when a student is absent

Origin & History

Standard academic Japanese compound from 休 (rest/suspend) + 講 (lecture). Has been in use since the establishment of the modern Japanese university system in the Meiji era.

Cultural Context

Era: Meiji era onward, a constant of Japanese university culture

Generation: All ages (universally understood)

Social background: Universal in academic contexts

Regional notes: Used at all Japanese universities. The notification system varies — some use apps, others use physical bulletin boards.