お祝い
おいわい · oiwai · JLPT N4 · noun
congratulation
🎉🎁 お祝い = polite o + iwai, from 祝う (iwau) to celebrate
Honorific お plus 祝い, the noun form of the verb 祝う (iwau, to celebrate). The kanji 祝 also appears in 祝日 (shukujitsu, national holiday). Sound hook: oh-ee-why — Oh, he? Why, congratulations!
祝 — 示 (altar/spirit) + 兄 (elder brother/person speaking)
Originally an oracle bone pictograph showing a person kneeling before an altar (示) with an open mouth, representing a priest reciting prayers or invocations. The meaning extended from 'invoke blessings' to the modern sense of 'wish' or 'congratulate'. The 示 component signals ritual/spirit, while 兄 contributes both meaning and sound.