お中 元(ちゅうげん)

おちゅうげん

noun

mid-year gift

1. mid-year gift

A gift given in summer (typically July) to express gratitude to people who have helped you, such as teachers, bosses, doctors, or business contacts.

To send a mid-year gift to someone who has helped me.

The department store's mid-year gift section is crowded.

I received a beer assortment as a mid-year gift.

From 中元(ちゅうげん), a Taoist festival on the 15th day of the 7th lunar month. The お is the polite prefix.

Timing varies by region: roughly early to mid-July in the Kanto area, mid-July to mid-August in Kansai and much of western Japan
Usually food or drink (beer, juice, sweets, somen noodles) or household goods, often sent directly from a department store
Typically worth 3,000 to 5,000 yen
On receiving one, a thank-you note or call is expected; a return gift is not required

お歳暮(せいぼ): the year-end counterpart
暑中見舞(しょちゅうみま)い: the summer greeting card; a gift sent too late for お中元(ちゅうげん) is labeled this way instead

Related Words

general

Added 2026.1.17 12:46 · Revised 2026.10.11 22:08

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