Departments
Intermediate Japanese - Free Online Course
GIRI-CHOKO
義理チョコ
"duty chocolate"
The Western holiday of Valentine’s Day is celebrated in Japan, but the Japanese have developed their own unique way of observing it. On Valentine’s Day, women give their male coworkers gifts of chocolate. (No, the previous sentence is not a misprint.)
The chocolate has no romantic significance. The word giri-choko is derived from the word “duty” or giri, and the Japanese pronunciation of the word chocolate. This etymology suggests that many of the givers of the chocolate may be less than enthusiastic about the custom. To be fair, though, the bulk of the chocolate usually flows back in the female direction. Men either share the chocolate they receive with other female coworkers, or present it as gifts to their wives or girlfriends.