Meaning

Primary

Congratulatory Gift

Alternative

Congratulatory Money

Word Type

noun

Explanation

To celebrate a ceremony, you offer a congratulatory gift.

祝儀 generally refers to monetary gifts for celebrations, such as congratulatory money for weddings. It can also include money given away when you make a hole-in-one in golf or win big on a gamble.

While 祝儀 can also refer to the celebration itself, this use is not as common.

Reading

しゅうぎ
  • Kyoko
    (Tokyo accent, female)
  • Kenichi
    (Tokyo accent, male)

Explanation

This is a jukugo word that uses the on'yomi readings of the kanji. The reading for is an alternate one that you haven't seen yet, so here's a mnemonic to help you remember it:

Your go-to congratulatory gift is a pair of shoes (しゅう). Most people just give money, but you'd rather give something practical, and nothing beats a nice pair of shoes. Congra-shoe-lations!

Context

Context Sentences

封筒の表には「御祝儀」と自分の名前を、裏には金額を書いたよ。

I wrote "congratulations" and my name on the front of the envelope and the amount of money on the back.

Kanji Composition