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Tutor Emi M 's Column

The guide to choosing an envelope for the money.

Dec 3, 2023

Congratulations, New Year's gifts, baby gifts, condolences...
 
In Japan, there is a custom of putting money in an envelope and handing it over.
 
If you make a mistake with this envelope, it will be a little embarrassing...rather than it may even make the other person feel bad!
 
So this time, I will explain how to choose an envelope to enter your money in!



Expression point

① New Year's money envelope/お年玉袋
I bought some detergent... ingredients... and a New Year's money envelope to give to my nephews.
洗剤…材料…そして甥っ子たちにあげるお年玉袋を買ってきたよ。

② knot/結び目
This is a knot that will never come undone.
これは決して解けることのない結び目です。

③ untied/ほどける
“Musubikiri” is a type of knot that cannot be untied once it is tied.
「結び切り」とは、一度結ぶと解くことができない結び方です。

④ unravel/ほつれる
It unravels quickly, which means you want them to divorce.
すぐにほつれてしまうので、離婚を意味しちゃうよ

⑤ It's only~ it's still~ / たかが~されど~

It's only an envelope, but it's still considered important.
たかが封筒、されど封筒だよ



Trivia

It is important to choose a wedding gift envelope carefully, but what worries many people is how much money to put in it.

 

The average price varies depending on the relationship between you and the bride and groom, but it is said to be around 30,000 yen for friends.

 

I once went to as many as three of my friends' weddings in one month. At the time, I was living in Tokyo, so it was so hard to pay the already high rent, in addition, to the extra expenses of the gifts...I was on the verge of going bankrupt.

 

Here in Hokkaido, weddings generally require a membership fee. It's very helpful for me!

It's great to not have to think about things like "How much should I put in..." or "I need to prepare a gift envelope..."!

 

When you arrive at the wedding venue, only you have to do is pay your membership fee at the reception desk. Generally, the price is around 15,000 yen.

Other than that, wedding customs differ depending on the region, so it's a good idea to check with someone familiar with the area before you go.

This column was published by the author in their personal capacity.
The opinions expressed in this column are the author's own and do not reflect the view of Cafetalk.

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