農 閑 期(のうかんき)

のうかんき

noun

agricultural off-season; slack season in farming

work time-period

1. agricultural off-season; slack season in farming

The period of the year when there is little agricultural work to be done, typically winter in Japan.

冬(ふゆ)は農閑期(のうかんき)だ。

Winter is the farming off-season.

農閑期(のうかんき)にアルバイトをする農家(のうか)も多(おお)い。

Many farmers take on part-time jobs during the off-season.

昔(むかし)の日本(にほん)では、農閑期(のうかんき)に祭(まつ)りや行事(ぎょうじ)が行(おこな)われることが多(おお)かった。

In old Japan, festivals and events were often held during the agricultural off-season.

A compound of 農(のう) (agriculture), 閑(かん) (leisure, quiet), and 期(き) (period). In Japanese rice-farming culture, the 農閑期(のうかんき) (roughly November through March) was historically a time for festivals, craft production, construction work, and community activities.

The opposite term is 農繁期(のうはんき) (busy farming season), when planting, tending, and harvesting demand intensive labor.

Common collocations

農閑期(のうかんき)に入(はい)る: to enter the farming off-season
農閑期(のうかんき)の仕事(しごと): off-season work
農閑期(のうかんき)を利用(りよう)する: to make use of the farming off-season

Similar words

農繁期(のうはんき): busy farming season — the antonym, when agricultural work is intense
閑散期(かんさんき): slow season, off-peak period — broader term applying to any industry
オフシーズン: off-season — the loanword, used more broadly for tourism, sports, etc.

Related Words

Antonym: 農繁期(のうはんき) (busy farming season)

Compare: 閑散期(かんさんき) (slow season, off-peak period)

Related: 季節労働(きせつろうどう) (seasonal labor)

Compare: 休耕期 (fallow period)

general

Added 2026.4.26 21:40 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02

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