Occasion
A general guideline only. Customary amounts vary by region, your relationship, and your age — use even bills, avoid the unlucky 4 and 9, and follow your family's or company's practice.
Typical amounts
Click an amount to copy it.
In Japan, the hardest part of any ceremonial occasion is deciding how much cash to enclose. Wedding goshugi for a friend, koden (condolence money) for a boss, a new-baby gift for a niece, otoshidama (New Year money) for a nephew, a school-entrance gift for a grandchild — the customary amount differs by occasion and by your relationship, and looking it up every time is tedious. This gift-money guide gathers five occasions — wedding (goshugi), funeral (koden), new baby, New Year (otoshidama), and school entrance/graduation — into clear charts of the typical amount by who you give to (friend, coworker, boss, sibling, relative, niece/nephew) or by the child's age and school grade. Pick an occasion and you get the customary amounts per relationship or age, plus short notes such as how much to enclose if you don't attend or what to give as a group, with every amount one click away from being copied. Otoshidama is broken down by preschool / lower and upper elementary / junior high / high school / university, and koden by friend, neighbor, grandparent, parent and so on, so you can quickly find the row closest to your situation. Bear in mind these are general guidelines only — amounts move with the region, your age, and how close you are. Also mind the etiquette: use odd-numbered bills (¥10,000 / ¥30,000 / ¥50,000), avoid the unlucky 4 (death) and 9 (suffering), and use crisp new bills for celebrations but not for funerals. Nothing you select or click is ever sent to a server; everything runs entirely inside your browser.
How to use
- Choose the occasion: wedding, funeral, new baby, New Year (otoshidama), or school entrance/graduation.
- Find the row for who you are giving to, or the child's age and grade, and read the typical amount plus the notes.
- Click an amount cell to copy it. Treat the figures as a guideline and adjust for your region and relationship.
FAQ
Is anything I select sent to a server?
No. The chart is rendered entirely inside your browser; the occasion you pick and the amounts you click are never uploaded, stored, or transmitted. It works fully locally.
How much goshugi for a friend's wedding?
¥30,000 is the standard for a friend or coworker whose reception you attend. Use odd-numbered amounts (¥10,000 / ¥30,000 / ¥50,000) and, if you cannot attend, give around ¥10,000 (about a third to a half of the attending amount). Bosses and siblings typically give more.
How much koden (condolence money) for a boss or coworker?
Around ¥5,000 for a coworker or subordinate, and ¥5,000–10,000 for a boss or business contact. Koden tends to increase with your own age, and coworkers often pool it under joint names. Local custom also matters.
How much otoshidama by age?
As a guide: ¥1,000 for preschoolers, ¥1,000–2,000 for lower elementary, ¥3,000 for upper elementary, ¥5,000 for junior high, ¥5,000–10,000 for high school, and ¥10,000 for university students. A common rule of thumb is age × ¥500, and many families set a cap.
Which numbers should I avoid?
Amounts that evoke 4 (death) and 9 (suffering) are traditionally avoided for ceremonial money. For weddings, 2 (which can mean 'splitting / parting') is also avoided, so odd-numbered ¥10,000 units are safest. Etiquette around new vs. used bills (new for celebrations, not for funerals) also depends on the occasion.