A work app shows 早番, 遅番, 公休 and 希望休. Which days are you working, and which are still requests? First check whether the schedule is a draft or final version. Then read each day’s start, end and break time. If something is wrong, contact the person who manages the roster promptly and keep the updated version.
Common Japanese words on a shift schedule
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning / what to check |
|---|---|---|
| シフト表／勤務表 | shifuto-hyō / kinmu-hyō | Shift roster / work schedule |
| 仮／確定 | kari / kakutei | Draft / confirmed |
| 出勤／退勤 | shukkin / taikin | Start work or attend / finish work |
| 早番／遅番 | hayaban / osoban | Early / late shift; exact times vary by workplace |
| 日勤／夜勤 | nikkin / yakin | Day / night shift |
| 休憩 | kyūkei | Break |
| 公休／所定休日 | kōkyū / shotei kyūjitsu | Scheduled day off under the roster or work rules |
| 希望休 | kibōkyū | Requested day off; check whether approved |
| 有休／年休 | yūkyū / nenkyū | Annual paid leave |
| シフト提出期限 | shifuto teishutsu kigen | Deadline to submit availability or requests |
| 変更申請 | henkō shinsei | Request to change a schedule |
Abbreviations such as “早,” “遅,” “休” or letters like “A/B” are workplace-specific. Ask for the legend instead of guessing from the color or symbol.
Read one line of the roster
Suppose your confirmed roster says 10/5 早番 9:00–17:30 休憩60分. It shows an early shift starting at 9:00, finishing at 17:30, with a 60-minute break. In this simple example, the scheduled time at work is 8 hours 30 minutes and the planned work time excluding the break is 7 hours 30 minutes. Your employer’s timekeeping rules determine how you record actual work and changes.
- Find the date and your name or employee ID. Watch for a roster covering a different team or worksite.
- Check 仮 or 確定 and the version date. A draft can change; keep the most recent confirmed copy.
- Read the start and end times, including a shift that crosses midnight. Confirm whether a listed break is inside those times.
- Compare each day off with your submitted requests. 希望休 is a request; 公休 is a scheduled day off; 有休 is paid leave and follows a separate application process.
- If the schedule conflicts with the conditions you agreed to, ask the manager to clarify the rule and the proposed change.
The MHLW guidance on hours and breaks explains the statutory minimum break: at least 45 minutes when work exceeds six hours and at least one hour when it exceeds eight hours. The actual roster should also reflect your workplace’s arrangements. If a planned break is interrupted by required work, report the actual time to your manager.
Before and after the roster is confirmed
Before the submission deadline, enter available days and 希望休 using the workplace’s app or form. Ask when the confirmed roster will be published and whether a request needs separate approval. After confirmation, use the agreed 変更申請 process. The MHLW recommends that employers and workers agree in advance on how requests, publication and later changes work; changes to already confirmed workdays and hours generally require agreement. See its shift-work guidance and current shift-work resource page.
For an absence or train delay on a scheduled day, use the normal contact route rather than quietly editing the app: our absence and lateness phrases give short messages. For a planned day of paid leave, see the paid-leave form guide. A “day off” entry by itself does not tell you whether paid leave was used.
Useful short messages
- このシフトは確定していますか。
Kono shifuto wa kakutei shite imasu ka.
Is this schedule final? - 早番の開始時刻と休憩時間を確認したいです。
Hayaban no kaishi jikoku to kyūkei jikan o kakunin shitai desu.
I’d like to confirm the early shift’s start time and break. - 希望休を提出しましたが、反映されているか確認できますか。
Kibōkyū o teishutsu shimashita ga, han’ei sarete iru ka kakunin dekimasu ka.
I submitted a day-off request. Could you check whether it appears on the roster? - 確定後のシフト変更は、どなたに相談すればよいですか。
Kakutei-go no shifuto henkō wa, donata ni sōdan sureba yoi desu ka.
Who should I speak with about a change after the schedule is confirmed?
If you are considering a shift-based job, check the expected hours and location in the job listing and the written notice of working conditions. The roster makes those arrangements concrete for each week or month.
