連休

• Reading: れんきゅう
• Romaji: renkyuu
• Kanji breakdown: 連 (ren) — continuous, connected; 休 (kyuu) — rest, holiday
• Pronunciation: /ɾeɴ.kjɯː/

Meaning

Consecutive holidays; a series of days off in a row. A multi-day break from work or school.

A noun referring to two or more holidays in succession. Japan has several famous consecutive holiday periods: ゴールデンウィーク (Golden Week in late April/early May), シルバーウィーク (Silver Week in September), and 三連休 (three-day weekend). 大型連休 means an extended holiday period.

Examples

1. 三連休を利用して温泉旅行に行く予定だ。 I'm planning to use the three-day weekend to take a hot spring trip.
2. 連休中は道路が混雑するので早めに出発しよう。 The roads get congested during the holidays, so let's leave early.
3. 大型連休に海外旅行を計画している人が多い。 A lot of people are planning overseas trips during the extended holiday period.

Usage Guide

Context: daily life, travel, work, planning

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

From Sino-Japanese 連 (ren, continuous/connected) + 休 (kyuu, rest/holiday). Literally 'connected rest days,' a modern compound reflecting the importance of clustered holidays in Japanese work culture.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal