Meaning

Primary

Souvenir

Alternative

Present

Word Type

noun

Explanation

Are you visiting a neat place? Grab some dirt and bring it back with you. Then pretend to give birth to it in front of your friends. That dirt is now a special souvenir! It's the best present you could ever give someone!

Reading

おみやげ
  • Kyoko
    (Tokyo accent, female)
  • Kenichi
    (Tokyo accent, male)

Explanation

These readings are exceptions, sorry! Here's a mnemonic to help you:

When someone asks you who gave you a souvenir, just say "Miya gave (みやげ) it to me." Who's Miya? No idea. But neither do they. You never have to remember who gave you anything ever again! Miya gave you everything you own. She's probably a great person.

Context

Context Sentences

まだお土産を選んでいません。

I haven’t picked out a souvenir yet.

これは京都へバス旅行に行った時のお土産です。

This is a souvenir from the time I went on a bus trip to Kyoto.

母はアメリカに旅行に来た時、友達や同僚へのお土産を大量に買い込んでいたが、自分へのお土産は一つも買わなかった。

When my mother traveled to the U.S., she bought tons of souvenirs for her friends and colleagues, but not a single one for herself.

Kanji Composition