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How to Say ‘When you're busy’ in Japanese

お忙しいところ

o isogashii tokoro

[oh ee-soh-gah-shee toh-koh-roh]

💬 Usage Tip: ところ usually means "place". Here it means "the moment" or "situation", so the phrase reads as "at this busy moment of yours". The お adds respect toward the other person.

Phrase Breakdown

お

o

[oh]

honorific prefix

Makes 荷物 more polite in customer service language.

Example

おを付けると丁寧です。

Adding お makes it polite.

忙しい

isogashii

[ee-soh-gah-shee]

busy

An i-adjective meaning busy, often used for work or schedules.

Example

今週は仕事が忙しいです。

Work is busy this week.

ところ

tokoro

[toh-koh-roh]

place; spot; point (in time/situation)

Means a place/spot. In soccer: an open spot, a good position, or an area to receive a pass.

Example

パスをもらえるところに行こう。

Let’s go to a spot where you can receive a pass.

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