White Day in Korea: Gifts, Traditions & Useful Korean Vocabulary

Celebrate White Day – Share Sweet Affection and Love in Korean Style!

💖 We all know Valentine’s Day is a celebration of love.

But in Korea, there’s another special day dedicated to love—White Day, celebrated exactly one month later on March 14th.

While Valentine’s Day in Western countries is a time for both men and women to exchange tokens of affection, in Korea, Valentine’s Day holds a unique tradition…

It’s the day when women gift chocolates to express their feelings or confess their love.

One month later, the ‘answer’ to their gift will be given on White Day by a man. This is why it is also sometimes referred to as reverse Valentine’s Day.

In this blog, we’ll delve into the history of White Day, popular gifts on White Day and some Korean words and phrases that will make celebrating this holiday a little easier!

⬇️ Interested in something specific? Clicking on the link will bring you to your preferred section!

White Day in Korea | History of White Day

White Day in Korea | Popular Gifts for White Day in Korea

White Day in Korea | How to Purchase Gifts in Korean

White Day in Korea | Quiz

White Day in Korea | FAQ

History of White Day

It is said that White Day first began in Japan around the year 1978.

When Valentine’s Day became popular in Japan during the 1970s, Japanese women began to express their affection for men by giving them chocolates.

Later, the National Confectionery Industry Association introduced the tradition of men reciprocating the gesture a month later with white marshmallows, which led to the nickname “Marshmallow Day.”

The name was later changed to White Day to allow men to give a broader range of white gifts, such as white chocolate. Nowadays, gifts on White Day have evolved and become a day for women to receive a variety of favorite items beyond just sweets.

In Korean, White Day is written as Play 화이트 데이 (hwaee-teu dei). As the name implies, the color white plays a big part in gift giving. White candies, chocolates, flowers, etc., everything white would be a good gift.

Till today, the most popular gift of choice for White Day is candies.
This is why candies became a gift that represents this day.

Let’s find out what popular gifts Koreans
enjoy giving to their loved ones.

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Popular Gifts for White Day in Korea

Play 사탕 (satang) – Candies. Of course, the first on the list would be candies.

In recent years hand-made candies are increasingly becoming popular. If commercial wrap candies were a thing before, now, people are looking for more personalized ones.

Some hand-made candy shops sell candies that look both beautiful and taste wonderful. If you are on the hunt for some unique candies, make sure to check out some popular shops beforehand or ask local Korean friends.

Play 꽃 (ggot) – Flowers. Flowers are a very traditional gift for any occasion as it symbolizes love.

Although white is the theme color for White Day, gifting a flower with personal significance is also a great idea.

If the person you love adores roses, then a colorful rose bouquet with white roses here and there will be a good choice. 

Here is a choice you will never go wrong.

Ladies are always a fan of beauty-related products. If you are unsure of what kind of products they prefer, hand creams or facial mists are a safe buy!

Koreans usually use the original English words for most make-up. For example:

Of course, these words are pronounced with a Korean touch. If you do want to speak like a Korean, try to pronounce it slowly without exaggerating too much on the L and R sound. That will do the trick.

Play 향수 (hyang-soo) – Perfume

Koreans love fragrances as this is such a great way to express a person’s character.

This is why choosing a fragrance for someone takes time and effort to think about what kind of fragrance would go well with the person.

By giving your Korean love interest perfume as a gift, the person will know how much time you put into choosing the gift.

If you want to describe a certain smell, you can use 향기 (hyang-gi) at the end of the type of fragrance. For example:

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How to Purchase Gifts in Korean

If you are on the lookout for a gift this coming White Day, here are some ways you can purchase goods in Korean.

Play 안녕하세요, 혹시 사탕 있어요? (an-nyeong-ha-se-yo hok-si-sa-tang it-seo-yo)

English: Hello, do you have candies?

Play 화이트 초콜릿도 있어요? (white chocolate-do it-seo-yo)

English: Do you also have white chocolate?

Also, make sure to say: 

Play 감사합니다, 안녕히 계세요! (gam-sa-ham-ni-da an-nyeong-hee ge-se-yo)

English: Thank you, goodbye!

Or you can also say:

Play 감사합니다, 수고하세요! (gam-sa-ham-ni-da soo-go-ha-seo-yo)

수고하세요 (soo-go-ha-seo-yo) is a word with a complex meaning.

If we literally translate the word, it will mean, keep up the good work.

But see how awkward it would sound if you literally understood this phrase. However, this word is used as an acknowledgement and encouragement for the hard work they are doing. So when Koreans say keep up the good work, it actually translates too–I am well aware of your hard work, it’s not easy but please keep it up!

Those of you who live or have lived in Korea would understand these cultural nuances. It’s always a great way to say thank you and goodbye with a slight bow when leaving a store.

Koreans will appreciate it even more
if the greeting comes from a foreigner!

Now that you have a good list of gift ideas for White Day, try to practice your Korean the next time you purchase gifts for White Day!

USEFUL VOCABULARY
👇 We should have you pretty well covered with the following vocabulary and phrases:

👉 BONUS | Interested in other languages too? Why not check out our mega list of 500 Chinese words to learn, the 100 most common Japanese words and the most commonly used words in Vietnamese.

White Day in Korea | Quiz

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White Day in Korea | FAQs

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