请假 (qǐngjià) — to ask for leave / take time off

请假 (qǐngjià)

请假 is a verb meaning to formally request time off from work, school, or another obligation. 请 means "to request" and 假 here means "leave / time off" (not "fake"). It is used any time you need to notify a supervisor or teacher that you will be absent.

Meanings

1. [verb] To ask for leave; to request time off; to take a day off (with permission).

Example Sentences

我明天要请假去看医生。 Wǒ míngtiān yào qǐngjià qù kàn yīshēng. I need to take tomorrow off to see the doctor.

他向老师请了两天假。 Tā xiàng lǎoshī qǐng le liǎng tiān jià. He asked the teacher for two days off.

请假需要提前告诉老板。 Qǐngjià xūyào tíqián gàosù lǎobǎn. You need to inform your boss in advance when taking leave.

她感冒了，所以请假在家休息。 Tā gǎnmào le, suǒyǐ qǐngjià zài jiā xiūxi. She had a cold, so she took a day off to rest at home.

Collocations

Memory Hook

请 means "to invite / request" (speech radical 讠 plus 青 "blue-green / youth"). 假 means "holiday / leave." You are requesting that a holiday be granted to you — politely inviting your boss to let you go.