1.
convenient; a good time; to be available
Used when a proposed time or arrangement works well for someone.
土曜日なら都合がいい。
Saturday works for me.
都合のいい日を教えてください。
Please let me know a day that works for you.
いつが一番都合がいいですか。
When is most convenient for you?
2.
favorable; convenient for oneself; self-serving
Describes something that works in someone's favor, often with a negative nuance suggesting the person is being selfish or only considering their own benefit.
都合のいいことばかり言うな。
Stop saying only things that suit you.
自分に都合のいい解釈をする。
To interpret things in a way that suits oneself.
彼は都合のいいときだけ連絡してくる。
He only contacts me when it's convenient for him.
An extremely common expression used daily in scheduling and also to criticize self-serving behavior. The scheduling sense is neutral and polite, while the 'self-serving' sense carries a negative nuance.
COMMON PATTERNS:
- 都合のいい日/時間: a convenient day/time
- 都合のいい話: a story that's too good to be true; a self-serving claim
- 都合のいい人: someone who is only used when convenient (a pushover)
- 自分に都合のいい: favorable to oneself; self-serving
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 便利: convenient — describes the convenience of things or places, not scheduling
- 好都合な: favorable, advantageous — more formal; used in writing
OPPOSITE:
- 都合が悪い: inconvenient; not a good time