ご祝儀貧乏

• Reading: ごしゅうぎびんぼう
• Romaji: goshūgi binbō
• Kanji breakdown: ご祝儀 (celebratory gift money) + 貧乏 (poor; 貧 = poor + 乏 = lacking) → impoverished by wedding gifts
• Pronunciation: /ɡo.ɕuː.ɡi.biɴ.boː/

Meaning

Being broke from giving too many wedding gifts — the financial strain of attending multiple weddings in a short period.

ご祝儀貧乏 is a widely relatable complaint among Japanese adults in their late 20s and 30s, when friends and colleagues are getting married in waves. With the standard ご祝儀 at ¥30,000 per wedding, attending 3-4 weddings in a season can easily cost over ¥100,000 — a serious hit to anyone's budget. Adding in outfit costs, travel, and 二次会 (after-party) fees makes it even worse. The term is used with wry humor on social media.

Examples

1. 今月3件も結婚式あってご祝儀貧乏がやばい。 I have three weddings this month and the gift money is destroying me financially.
2. 20代後半からご祝儀貧乏になるって聞いてたけど、まさにその通りだった。 I'd heard you go broke from wedding gifts in your late 20s, and it turned out to be completely true.
3. ご祝儀貧乏すぎて自分の結婚式の費用が貯まらないっていう皮肉。 The irony of being so broke from other people's wedding gifts that I can't save up for my own wedding.

Usage Guide

Context: friends, social media, daily conversation

Tone: humorous, self-deprecating

Do Say

• 秋のご祝儀貧乏が怖すぎる。 (I'm terrified of autumn wedding gift bankruptcy.)
• ご祝儀貧乏で今月外食できない。 (I'm so broke from wedding gifts I can't eat out this month.)

Don't Say

• 結婚する友達の前で「ご祝儀貧乏になる」と嘆くのは避ける (Avoid complaining about ご祝儀貧乏 in front of friends who are getting married — it makes them feel guilty)

Common Mistakes

• Using ご祝儀貧乏 too seriously — it's meant to be a light, humorous complaint. Using it in a genuinely angry or resentful tone changes the nuance

Origin & History

Compound of ご祝儀 (wedding gift money) + 貧乏 (poor/poverty). A humorous self-deprecating term that emerged naturally as young adults faced the financial reality of Japan's concentrated wedding seasons.

Cultural Context

Era: 2000s onward, peak complaints during wedding seasons

Generation: Late 20s to 30s primarily

Social background: Universal among adults attending multiple weddings

Regional notes: Used across all of Japan. Wedding season peaks are June (ジューンブライド) and autumn. Some people deliberately stagger wedding attendance to manage costs.