祝日

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 祝日, read しゅくじつ, means a public holiday marking an official occasion.
• Basic usage: Use it when checking dates on a calendar or making family plans for a holiday.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• A day off and a public holiday
  • 休日 broadly means a day off, while 祝日 focuses on an official occasion. Personal days off and public holidays do not always coincide.
• Expressing a plan
  • The first example's 行く予定だ means planning to go. It describes a planned action rather than a completed trip.