• 休みやすみ — break, day off
• 休むやすむ — to rest, to be absent
• 休日きゅうじつ — holiday
• 休校きゅうこう — school closed
• 休憩きゅうけい — short rest, recess
• 休戦きゅうせん — truce, ceasefire
• 休養きゅうよう — recuperation, rest

The left side of 休 is the radical for “person,” and the right is “tree.” Imagine a person leaning on a tree to rest — a perfect picture of taking a break. This character appears often in schedules and calendars.

日曜日にちようびは 休やすみです。
Sunday is a day off.

午後ごごに 休憩きゅうけいが あります。
There’s a break in the afternoon.