1.
national holiday; public holiday
An officially designated public holiday in Japan. Defined by the National Holiday Law (国民の祝日に関する法律). Japan currently has 16 national holidays throughout the year.
明日は国民の祝日で休みだ。
Tomorrow is a national holiday so we have the day off.
日本には年間16の国民の祝日がある。
Japan has 16 national holidays per year.
国民の祝日が月曜日になる「ハッピーマンデー制度」で連休が増えた。
The 'Happy Monday' system, which moves national holidays to Mondays, has increased the number of long weekends.
The official term for Japan's legally designated public holidays, as defined by the 国民の祝日に関する法律 (Act on National Holidays). In everyday speech, people often just say 祝日.
JAPAN'S 16 NATIONAL HOLIDAYS:
- 元日 (Jan 1): New Year's Day
- 成人の日 (2nd Mon Jan): Coming of Age Day
- 建国記念の日 (Feb 11): National Foundation Day
- 天皇誕生日 (Feb 23): Emperor's Birthday
- 春分の日 (Mar ~21): Vernal Equinox Day
- 昭和の日 (Apr 29): Showa Day
- 憲法記念日 (May 3): Constitution Memorial Day
- みどりの日 (May 4): Greenery Day
- こどもの日 (May 5): Children's Day
- 海の日 (3rd Mon Jul): Marine Day
- 山の日 (Aug 11): Mountain Day
- 敬老の日 (3rd Mon Sep): Respect for the Aged Day
- 秋分の日 (Sep ~23): Autumnal Equinox Day
- スポーツの日 (2nd Mon Oct): Sports Day
- 文化の日 (Nov 3): Culture Day
- 勤労感謝の日 (Nov 23): Labor Thanksgiving Day
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 祝日: holiday — the common short form used in everyday speech
- 祭日: festival day — an older term sometimes used interchangeably with 祝日, though strictly they differ
- 休日: day off — broader term for any non-working day, including weekends