ホワイトデー
Howaito Dē[ho̞β̞a̠ito̞ de̞ː]
ホワイトデー (Howaito Dē) is the Japanese term for White Day.
ホワイトデー is used as a proper noun to refer specifically to the holiday celebrated on March 14.
Meaning: 14 March (name)
How do you pronounce it?
Howaito Dē
When do people say it?
White Day is a commercial holiday in Japan celebrated on March 14. It is a tradition for people, traditionally men, to return gifts to those who gave them chocolates on Valentine's Day.
Did you know?
- While the holiday is based on returning a gift, the social expectation in Japan is often that the return gift for ホワイトデー should be more expensive than the original Valentine's chocolate.
- The name ホワイトデー was likely invented by a national confectionery union in 1978 to boost candy sales.
- The word 'white' in ホワイトデー refers to the color of the sugar or the pure, clean image of the sweets being gifted.
Examples in context
- ともこさん、ホワイトデーに何がほしいですか？Tomoko, what would you like for White Day?
- ホワイトデーのプレゼントは何にしますか？Howuto-dee no purezento wa nani ni shimasu ka?What will you get for a White Day present?
- ホワイトデーは三月十四日です。Howuto-dee wa sangatsu juuyonichi desu.White Day is March 14th.
- ホワイトデーにキャンディをもらいました。Howuto-dee ni kyandi o moraimashita.I received candy on White Day.
Example conversation
Two colleagues are talking about upcoming holidays in the office.
- 陽葵 Himari健太さんはホワイトデーに何かしますか？Kenta-san wa Howuto-dee ni nani ka shimasu ka?Kenta, are you doing anything for White Day?
- 健太 Kenta彼女にマカロンを贈る予定です。Kanojo ni makaron o okuru yotei desu.I plan to give my girlfriend macarons.
- 陽葵 Himariそれはとても素敵ですね！Sore wa totemo suteki desu ne!That is very lovely!
- 健太 Kenta陽葵さんも何か準備していますか？Himari-san mo nani ka junbi shite imasu ka?Are you preparing anything too, Himari?
Sources
- Wiktionary, “white day” translations and entries ホワイトデー, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ホワイトデー, CC BY-SA 4.0.
