ホワイトデー
ほわいとでー
noun
White Day
1.
White Day
March 14th, one month after Valentine's Day, when men give return gifts to women who gave them chocolate
ホワイトデーのお返しを買った。
I bought return gifts for White Day.
ホワイトデーには何を贈ればいいだろう。
I wonder what I should give for White Day.
ホワイトデーのお返しは、もらったチョコの三倍返しが理想だと言われている。
It's said that the ideal White Day return gift should be worth three times the chocolate you received.
A holiday unique to Japan (and some other East Asian countries). Created by the confectionery industry in the late 1970s as a counterpart to Valentine's Day. On March 14th, men who received chocolate on Valentine's Day are expected to give return gifts.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- ホワイトデーのお返し: White Day return gift
- ホワイトデーに贈る: to give on White Day
- 三倍返し: returning three times the value
- ホワイトデーのプレゼント: White Day present
CULTURAL NOTE:
Traditional return gifts include cookies, candy, marshmallows, or accessories. There is an unwritten expectation that the return gift should be of equal or greater value than the chocolate received. In workplace contexts, men often give group gifts in return for 義理チョコ received. The concept of 倍返し (returning double or triple the value) adds social pressure to the occasion.
RELATED:
- バレンタインデー: Valentine's Day (February 14th) — when women give chocolate to men