1.
get-well gift; a gift brought when visiting someone who is ill or hospitalized
The お prefix is standard and almost always included.
お見舞い品に果物を持って行った。
I brought fruit as a get-well gift.
病院へのお見舞い品は何がいいでしょうか。
What would be a good get-well gift for a hospital visit?
鉢植えの花はお見舞い品としてふさわしくないと言われている。
Potted flowers are said to be inappropriate as get-well gifts.
A compound of お見舞い (visiting the sick/injured) and 品 (item/gift). The お is a polite prefix that is conventionally included and rarely dropped.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- お見舞い品を持参する: to bring a get-well gift
- お見舞い品を選ぶ: to choose a get-well gift
- お見舞い品にふさわしい: appropriate as a get-well gift
CULTURAL NOTES:
In Japan, there are specific etiquette rules about what to give as お見舞い品:
- Appropriate: fruit, flowers (cut, not potted), books, small treats
- Inappropriate: potted plants (根が付く = "taking root" suggests a prolonged stay), items in sets of four (四 sounds like 死, death), strong-scented items
- Cash in an envelope (見舞金) is also common, especially among close relations