What does 休む mean?
休む is a Japanese verb meaning “to rest, to take a break” in English. It can also be translated as “to go to bed, to take the day off” depending on context. It is written as 休む in kanji, やすむ in hiragana, and yasumu in romaji. This word is part of JLPT N5 vocabulary.
Example sentences
彼はよく会合を休む。
He often absents himself from meetings.
彼はしばらくの間休んだ。
He rested for a while.
父はまだ休んでいる。
Father is still in bed.
Conjugation of 休む
| Affirmative | Negative | |
|---|---|---|
| Plain | 休むやすむ | 休まないやすまない |
| Plain past | 休んだやすんだ | 休まなかったやすまなかった |
| Polite | 休みますやすみます | 休みませんやすみません |
| Polite past | 休みましたやすみました | 休みませんでしたやすみませんでした |
Other forms
Te-form休んでやすんで
Potential休めるやすめる
Passive休まれるやすまれる
Volitional休もうやすもう
Causative休ませるやすませる
Conditional休めばやすめば
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Transitive partner
休む (it happens by itself)·休める (someone does it)
休む describes something happening by itself. 休める describes someone doing it to something. Japanese keeps these apart where English often uses one verb for both.