(ひま)

ひま
na-adjective
free time, not busy
descriptivetime-general
1. free time
Time when one has nothing to do.
(ひま)ある
To have free time.
(ひま)あります
Do you have free time?
I don't have free time, so I can't go out to play.
I bought a book to read in my free time.
Since I quit my job, I have lots of free time. But I don't know what to do.
2. not busy
Having nothing to do; idle.
今日(きょう)(ひま)
I'm free today.
Please come when you're free.
Are you free this week?
I'm free today, so let's watch a movie.
I've had many free days lately, so I'm thinking of starting a new hobby.

(ひま) works as a noun (free time) and as a na-adjective (not busy).

Usage

  • As a na-adjective it modifies with な: (ひま)(とき) (when you are free)
  • As a noun it pairs with ある and ない: (ひま)ある (to have time to spare)
  • Calling someone else (ひま)(ひと) can imply they have nothing worth doing, so with a superior or a customer ask 時間(じかん)ある instead. Said of yourself, (ひま)です is friendly and completely normal.

Common collocations

SAME KANJI, DIFFERENT READING:
The polite phrase for taking one's leave is (いとま)する, read おいとま, not おひま. The kanji is shared; the reading and the meaning are not.

Similar words

(いそが)しい (busy) is the everyday opposite. Note that it is an i-adjective while (ひま) is a na-adjective, so the two do not conjugate alike.