How Much Money to Give as a Gift (Goshigi) ?
Hi there. It’s Mrs. Wada, back on duty. I would like to share how much money to give as a gift (goshugi) in Japan.
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How Much Money to Give as a Gift (Goshigi) ?
Japanese often give money as a gift for celebrating. If you are not sure how much you should give, here is some reference.
*Note that it would be actually better to give something practical (ex; stationary for students, etc.) than giving cash. It really depends so you should consider the relationship between you and the person.
Wedding Gift (結婚祝い)
| Friend | 30,000 – 50,000 yen | |
| Work Related | Boss | 30,000 – 50,000 yen |
| Colleague | About 30,000 yen | |
| Junior | 20,000 – 30,000 yen | |
| Client | About 30,000 yen | |
| Relative | 30,000 – 100,000 yen | |
| Family | 20,000 – 100,000 yen | |
Baby-birth Gift(出産祝い)
| Friend/colleague | 3,000 – 10,000 yen |
| Sibling | 5,000 – 30,000 yen |
| One’s own child | 30,000 – 50,000 yen |
| Relative | 5,000 – 20,000 yen |
| Acquaintance | 1,000 – 3,000 yen |
Shichi-go-san (七五三)
If you don’t know what Shichi-go-san is, here is some reference.
| Grand child | 10,000 – 30,000 yen |
| Relative | 5,000 – 10,000 yen |
| Friends’ child | 3,000 – 5,000 yen |
Admission to School / Graduating from School (入学祝い/卒業祝い)
Admission to School
| Grand child | Kindergarten | About 10,000 yen |
| Elementary school | About 20,000 yen | |
| Jr. High school | About 30,000 yen |
| Nephew/niece | About 10,000 yen | |
| Friend’s child | Kindergarten | 3,000 – 5,000 yen |
| Older | 5,000 ~ 10,000 yen | |
Graduating from School
| Grand child | 10,000 – 50,000 yen |
| Nephew/niece | About 10,000 yen |
| Friend’s child | 3,000 – 5,000 yen |
Coming age celebration (成人)
| One’s own child | 10,000 – 50,000 yen |
| Grand child | 10,000 – 100,000 yen |
| Younger sibling | 3,000 – 10,000 yen |
| Acquaintance | 5,000 – 10,000 yen |
Celebrate for getting a job (就職祝い)
| Relative | 10,000 – 20,000 yen |
| Friend/junior | 5,000 – 10,000 yen |
Housewarming Gift (新築祝い/引越し祝い)
| Friend/co-league | 5,000 – 10,000 yen |
| Sibling/relative | 10,000 – 30,000 yen |
Return Gift during one’s recovery (快気祝い・退院祝い)
For those who did nice to you or gave you something while you are sick, you should return something worth 1/2 – 1/3 of what you got. It should be consumable items since reusable things may sound bad luck (‘it may happen over again’).
Lastly
How do you find it? Hope it helps.

