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How to Say ‘Will be absent (from school)’ in Japanese

お休みします

o yasumi shi masu

[oh yah-soo-mee shee mahs]

💬 Usage Tip: The [お] makes it more polite. In parent-to-school talk, [お休みします] is a very standard phrasing.

🇯🇵 In Japan: Even for a “family day off,” parents often still use the same polite absence wording to keep it neutral and respectful.

Phrase Breakdown

o

[oh]

honorific prefix (polite)

Adds politeness to the noun/verb phrase. お休みします is a more polite way to say “(I/they) will be absent.”

Example

きょうは学校をお休みします。

We will take today off from school.

休み

yasumi

[yah-soo-mee]

rest; absence (polite noun form)

With お, it becomes お休み, used politely for absence/rest. Common in school absence calls.

Example

娘はきょうお休みします。

My daughter will be absent today.

shi

[shee]

do (verb stem)

Stem of する. In お休みします it means “to take (a rest/day off).”

Example

きょうはお休みします。

I will be absent today.

ます

masu

[mahs]

polite verb ending (-masu)

Makes the expression polite and appropriate for formal phone calls.

Example

きょうはお休みします。

I will be absent today.

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