축의금 (chuguigeum)

축의금 (chuguigeum) means money you hand over at a happy occasion — a wedding, a first-birthday party — to express your congratulations. It is the very first wall a foreigner runs into after being invited to a Korean wedding. When you arrive at the venue, a long reception desk is set up right by the door, and guests step forward one by one, hold out a white envelope, and sign the guest book. The money inside that envelope is 축의금 (chuguigeum). No ribboned gift box, no handwritten card. In Korea, congratulations are usually handed over in an envelope.

If you had to sum up the nuance in one line: 축의금 (chuguigeum) is closer to “sharing the cost” than to “a gift.” The hall rental and the guests’ meals are covered, little by little, by the guests themselves — which is why, in conversation, this word almost always travels with a number attached to it. 축의금 (chuguigeum) is neither slang nor a stiff, overly bookish Sino-Korean term, so it is a neutral word you can use with a friend and with your boss alike. That said, since it points directly at money, openly prying into how much someone else gave is rude. The word is neutral, but the situations it sits in are sensitive — and that is the real difficulty in learning 축의금 (chuguigeum).

Checking the National Institute of Korean Language dictionary

축의금 (chuguigeum) 「noun」 Money given in order to congratulate someone. [English] money gift; congratulatory money — Money given to someone as a gift, on a happy occasion. [Japanese] しゅうぎ【祝儀】 — 祝うために贈る金銭。 [Spanish] dinero para expresar enhorabuena — Dinero que se entrega para expresar su enhorabuena por alguna ocasión. [Chinese] 礼金 — 为祝福而出的钱。 — National Institute of Korean Language, Basic Korean Dictionary (krdict.korean.go.kr)

A Portuguese equivalent is not listed in the dictionary, so we have translated one ourselves for reference (our own translation): dinheiro de congratulação — dinheiro oferecido como presente em uma ocasião feliz.

The part of the definition worth watching is the last phrase of the English equivalent: “on a happy occasion.” That single condition decides the entire range of 축의금 (chuguigeum). Below are the actual usage examples listed in the dictionary.

결혼 축의금. — National Institute of Korean Language, Basic Korean Dictionary (krdict.korean.go.kr)

gyeolhon chuguigeum — “wedding money gift.” This is the most basic pairing of all. You simply put the occasion in front of the word, and it extends the same way to 돌잔치 축의금 (doljanchi chuguigeum, money gift for a first-birthday party) and 회갑 축의금 (hoegap chuguigeum, money gift for a sixtieth-birthday celebration). If you say 축의금 (chuguigeum) with no modifier at all, a Korean will almost automatically picture a wedding.

유민이 결혼식 축의금 얼마나 낼 거야? — National Institute of Korean Language, Basic Korean Dictionary (krdict.korean.go.kr)

Yumini gyeolhonsik chuguigeum eolmana nael geoya? — “How much are you giving for Yumin’s wedding?” This is a textbook casual-speech (반말, banmal) exchange between two friends going to the same wedding. The habit of not deciding the amount on your own, but checking it against someone whose relationship to the couple is similar to yours, shows up right there in one sentence. Learn the verb along with it, too: it is 내다 (naeda, to give/pay in).

민준이네에 보낼 축의금은 다 준비되었어요? — National Institute of Korean Language, Basic Korean Dictionary (krdict.korean.go.kr)

Minjunine bonael chuguigeumeun da junbidoeeosseoyo? — “Is the money gift to send to Minjun’s family all ready?” Notice the 보낼 (bonael, to send) attached to it. This is the situation where you can’t attend in person, so you send the envelope along with someone else or transfer the money to a bank account. Bank transfers are extremely common these days, so you’ll have plenty of chances to use this pattern.

우리는 결혼식에서 들어온 축의금을 고아원에 기부하기로 했다. — National Institute of Korean Language, Basic Korean Dictionary (krdict.korean.go.kr)

urineun gyeolhonsigeseo deureoon chuguigeumeul goawone gibuhagiro haetda. — “We decided to donate the money gifts that came in at our wedding to an orphanage.” This is from the receiving side, that is, the bride and groom’s point of view. It is natural that the verb 들어오다 (deureooda, to come in) is used here — for the person giving, 축의금 (chuguigeum) is something you “give,” and for the household receiving it, it is something that “comes in.”

청첩장에는 축의금과 화환은 정중히 사절한다는 문구가 적혀 있었다. — National Institute of Korean Language, Basic Korean Dictionary (krdict.korean.go.kr)

cheongcheopjangeneun chuguigeumgwa hwahwaneun jeongjunghi sajeolhandaneun munguga jeokhyeo isseotda. — “The wedding invitation carried a line saying that money gifts and flower wreaths were respectfully declined.” This is a set phrase you’ll find printed on a 청첩장 (cheongcheopjang, wedding invitation). It’s the case where the couple states in advance that they won’t be accepting money gifts, and when that line is there, showing up without an envelope is not rude at all. The sentence has a strong flavor of formal written Korean, so you’re far more likely to meet it in reading than in speech.

Real conversation

Situation: Saturday midday, the lobby of a wedding hall. A long line of guests stretches out in front of the reception desk.

Emily: 어? 나 봉투를 안 챙겨 왔네. 그냥 계좌로 보내면 안 되나? Huh? I didn’t bring an envelope. Can’t I just transfer it to their account?

Jun-kyung: 저기 접수대 옆에 봉투 쌓여 있어. 요새 축의금 계좌로 보내는 사람도 많긴 한데, 이왕 왔잖아. There’s a stack of envelopes next to the reception desk. Lots of people send the money gift by transfer these days, but you’re already here.

Emily: 근데 얼마 넣지? 부서는 다른데 같이 일한 지는 3년 됐거든. But how much should I put in? We’re in different teams, but we’ve worked together for three years.

Jun-kyung: 십만 원 하면 딱 무난해. 밥까지 먹고 갈 거면 그 정도는 해야지. A hundred thousand won is the safe call. If you’re staying for the meal, that’s about right.

Emily: 아, 다행이다. 나 오만 원만 넣을 뻔했어. Oh, thank god. I almost put in just fifty thousand.

Jun-kyung: 아 그리고, 축의금 낼 때 봉투 뒤에 이름 꼭 써. 안 쓰면 누가 낸 건지 몰라. Oh, and when you hand over the money gift, make sure you write your name on the back. Otherwise they won’t know who it’s from.

This would sound off

✗ (at the reception desk of a funeral hall) 축의금은 여기 내면 되나요? ✓ (at the reception desk of a funeral hall) 부의금은 여기 내면 되나요? → Both sentences mean “Is this where I hand in the money?” — but the 축 (chuk) in 축의금 (chuguigeum) is the character 祝, “to congratulate.” Using this word in a place of grief isn’t a simple vocabulary slip; it is a serious insult to the chief mourner. At a funeral you must say 부의금 (buuigeum) or 조의금 (jouigeum). In Korean, these two words are never swapped for each other.

✗ (at a friend’s birthday get-together) 우리 축의금 얼마씩 걷을까? ✓ (at a friend’s birthday get-together) 우리 선물값 얼마씩 걷을까? → “How much should we each chip in?” — but 축의금 (chuguigeum) is only for formal happy occasions that come with envelopes and a reception desk: weddings, first-birthday parties, sixtieth-birthday celebrations. Use it for something private and light like a friend’s birthday and it will either land as a joke or make the whole gathering feel far too heavy. Here you’d say 선물값 (seonmulgap, money for a gift).

Example sentences by situation

1. Texting because you can’t make it to the wedding

A business trip has landed on the same day as a colleague’s wedding. The natural order is to apologize first and mention the envelope afterward.

결혼 축하해! 그날 출장이라 못 가서 미안해. 축의금은 계좌로 보낼게.

gyeolhon chukhahae! geunal chuljangira mot gaseo mianhae. chuguigeumeun gyejwaro bonaelge. Congrats on the wedding! I’m sorry I can’t make it — I’ll be away on a business trip. I’ll send the money gift to your account.

2. Matching amounts with a colleague you’re going with

Two colleagues who joined the same team in the same year talk it over at lunch. In Korea, people who stand at a similar distance from the couple usually give similar amounts, so this kind of check-in is common.

우리 둘 다 가는 거면 축의금은 각자 내는 게 맞지?

uri dul da ganeun geomyeon chuguigeumeun gakja naeneun ge matji? If we’re both going, we should each give our own money gift, right?

3. Attending on behalf of a parent

His father isn’t well, so the son goes to the wedding hall in his place. Say this at the reception desk and it will be entered in the ledger under his father’s name.

아버지가 못 오셔서 제가 대신 왔습니다. 축의금은 아버지 성함으로 넣어 주세요.

abeojiga mot oseoseo jega daesin watseumnida. chuguigeumeun abeoji seonghameuro neoeo juseyo. My father couldn’t come, so I’m here in his place. Please record the money gift under his name.

Polite and casual speech, and similar expressions

축의금 (chuguigeum) is a neutral noun in itself, carrying no built-in honorific or humble tone. The politeness level comes from the verb you attach to it. To a friend: 축의금 얼마 냈어? (chuguigeum eolma naesseo?) — “How much did you give?” To a senior or a boss: 축의금 얼마나 하셨어요? (chuguigeum eolmana hasyeosseoyo?) — “How much did you give, if you don’t mind my asking?” In spoken Korean it’s also extremely common to attach 하다 (hada) instead of 내다 (naeda), as in 십만 원 했어 (simman won haesseo) — “I did a hundred thousand won.” Worth learning alongside.

Words that look similar are divided strictly by the occasion they belong to.

Expression	Tone & intensity	Where it’s used
축의금 (chuguigeum)	Neutral, formal. For congratulations only	Reception desks at weddings, first-birthday parties, sixtieth-birthday celebrations. With anyone
부의금 (buuigeum) / 조의금 (jouigeum)	Neutral, formal. For mourning	The reception desk at a funeral hall. Never, ever swapped with 축의금 (chuguigeum)
부조금 (bujogeum)	A little old-fashioned, warm and generous in feel	Covers happy and sorrowful occasions alike. Older people say things like “부조 좀 했어 (bujo jom haesseo)” — “I chipped in a bit”
경조사비 (gyeongjosabi)	Businesslike, an accounting term	Company policy, household ledgers, budget line items. A word with no feeling in it

The pair that trips up foreign learners most is 축의금 (chuguigeum) and 부조금 (bujogeum). It sorts itself out if you think of 부조금 (bujogeum) as a big box holding both joyful and sorrowful occasions, and 축의금 (chuguigeum) as the small compartment inside it that handles only the joyful ones.

Cultural background — the name on the back of the envelope

Break the Chinese characters apart and the structure becomes clear: 축 (祝, to congratulate) + 의 (儀, rite, propriety) + 금 (金, money) — “money that observes the courtesy of congratulation.” The Japanese equivalent in the dictionary comes out as しゅうぎ (祝儀) precisely because it shares those same characters.

At a Korean wedding, writing your name on the back of the envelope isn’t just a matter of verification. At the reception desk, your name and the amount go into a ledger, and that ledger stays in the family’s keeping long after the wedding is over. Someday, when you have your own wedding or when your parents have an occasion of their own, that ledger gets opened again so the family can give back as much as it received. This is exactly why people say 축의금 (chuguigeum) is less a gift than a long-running form of 품앗이 (pumasi) — the old practice of exchanging labor and help within a village. It’s also why the amount ends up serving as a measure of how close a relationship is.

There are loose customs about the amount. 오만 원 (oman won, 50,000 KRW) and 십만 원 (simman won, 100,000 KRW) are effectively the baseline, and you’ll often hear that if you’re being served a meal, 십만 원 (simman won) sits more comfortably on the conscience. People say that odd numbers have long been considered luckier than even ones, giving rise to a custom of sticking to 삼만 원 (samman won), 오만 원 (oman won), or 칠만 원 (chilman won) — though 십만 원 (simman won) is a widely used exception. You’ll also often hear the explanation that a wedding is a happy event you can prepare for in advance, so you go to the bank for crisp new bills, whereas a funeral is something you can’t prepare for, so you simply put in whatever cash you had on hand. These are customs, so they shift a little by region and by family — if you’re not sure, the safest move by far is to ask the Korean friend you’re going with.

Whenever a wedding scene shows up in a Korean drama, the camera makes a point of sweeping past the reception desk. How thick the envelope being held out is, what expression someone wears while signing their name — one shot explains the distance between characters and the face they’re trying to keep. It’s a scene where the relationships read clearly without a line of dialogue, and once you know the weight the word 축의금 (chuguigeum) carries, those few seconds look completely different.

Today’s quiz

In which of the following situations is it appropriate to use the word 축의금 (chuguigeum)?

The reception desk at a friend’s grandmother’s funeral
The reception desk at a coworker’s wedding
A friend’s thirtieth birthday party
A housewarming at a friend’s new place

Show the answer

Answer: 2

축의금 (chuguigeum) contains 축 (祝), the character for “congratulate,” so it is used only for joyful occasions. For 1 you’d say 부의금 (buuigeum) or 조의금 (jouigeum); for 3, a birthday present; and for 4, a housewarming gift.

Definitions and example sentences are from the National Institute of Korean Language’s Basic Korean Dictionary (krdict.korean.go.kr); that portion of this post, including our translations, is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 KR.