お祝いわい

お

い

わ

い

Common wordJLPTN4Freq.FrequencyTop 5,000

Meanings

1

noun

congratulation; celebration

honorific or respectful (sonkeigo)

Honorific noun for the act of celebrating or expressing congratulations. Often used in phrases like お祝いを言う (to offer congratulations) or お祝いの言葉 (words of congratulation).

Usage patterns

〈人ひと〉にお祝いわいを言いうto offer congratulations to someone
友とも達だちに結けっ婚こんのお祝いわいを言いった。
I congratulated my friend on their marriage.
〈事こと〉のお祝いわいをするto hold a celebration for an event
来らい週しゅう、卒そつ業ぎょうのお祝いわいをする予よ定ていです。
We're planning to celebrate the graduation next week.
〈人ひと〉にお祝いわいを渡わたすto hand someone a congratulatory gift
赤あかちゃんが生うまれたので、お祝いわいを渡わたした。
Since the baby was born, I gave them a congratulatory gift.
お祝いわいをもらうto receive a congratulatory gift
入にゅう学がくのお祝いわいをたくさんもらった。
I received a lot of gifts for entering school.

Kanji

祝celebrate, congratulate

Related words

祝しゅく賀がN1sense 1
祝賀 is a formal, often ceremonial term for celebration (used in phrases like 祝賀会), while お祝い is the everyday word for congratulating or a congratulatory gift.
贈おくり物ものN4sense 2
贈り物 is a generic word for any gift, whereas お祝い specifically refers to a gift given to mark a celebratory occasion like a wedding or birth.
おめでとうN4sense 1
おめでとう is the spoken interjection used to congratulate someone directly, while お祝い is the noun for the act of celebrating or the gift itself.
祝いわうN3
お祝いする is a softer, more polite everyday form built from the same root as 祝う, and can also mean giving a celebratory gift.

Politeness

祝いわいplainN4
お祝い is the polite, お付きの form used in formal or polite speech, while 祝い is the plain, casual form often seen in compounds like 祝い酒.

Written forms

お祝いわい
Standard polite form with honorific prefix お. The most common spelling.
お祝いわい
Abbreviated kanji form, less common but acceptable.

Etymology

Noun form of the verb 祝う (iwau, 'to celebrate') with the honorific prefix お. The kanji 祝 means 'celebrate' or 'congratulate'.