Polite to Stranger
Cultural · Greeting
お祝いをいただいた半額程度のお品をお返しするのが、内祝いの目安でございます。 — Returning a gift of about half the value received is the standard for uchiwai (return gift). (Cultural · Greeting, Polite to Stranger, JLPT N3)
You
お祝いをいただいた半額程度のお品をお返しするのが、内祝いの目安でございます。
おいわいをいただいたはんがくていどのおしなをおかえしするのが、うちいわいのめやすでございます。
Returning a gift of about half the value received is the standard for uchiwai (return gift).
Romaji: Oiwai wo itadaita hangaku-teido no oshina wo okaeshi suru no ga, uchiiwai no meyasu de gozaimasu. / Reply Romaji: Naruhodo. Itsu made ni okaeshi suru no ga ii desu ka?
Reply
なるほど。いつまでにお返しするのがいいですか？
なるほど。いつまでにおかえしするのがいいですか？
I see. By when should I return the gift?
Gesture & etiquette
Explanatory conversation. Recommend catalog gift services for ease (avoids re-gift mismatch). Suggest the recipient include a hand-written thank-you note with the return gift for personal warmth.
「内祝い」 (uchiiwai) is the return gift after receiving celebration gifts (birth, wedding, recovery, longevity). Standard: 1/3 to 1/2 of received gift value. Items: catalog gifts, sweets, towels with thank-you card. Send within 1 month of receiving. Originally meant 'sharing our joy', now functionally a return-gift custom. Wrap with red-and-white mizuhiki, address as 「内祝」.