Pochi-bukuro (Otoshidama Envelopes) Coloring Pages

Envelopes for New Year's Money

Pochi-bukuro (Otoshidama Envelopes) are small paper envelopes used for New Year's money gifts.
They often feature happy symbols like cranes, plum blossoms, animals of the zodiac, and Mount Fuji.
People also use them to give a small thank-you gift.
Today, you can find many cute Pochi-bukuro (Otoshidama Envelopes) with fun characters and animals!

What Does "Pochi" Mean?

People say the word "pochi" comes from a Kansai dialect word that means "just a little bit."
They started calling them Pochi-bukuro (Otoshidama Envelopes) to show a humble feeling, as if saying, "Here is just a small gift for you."
Long ago, people used these envelopes to give small tips to shopkeepers and performers.

New Year's Money Used to Be Rice Cakes

Long ago, people did not give money for New Year's gifts. Instead, they gave rice cakes offered to the New Year deity.
They shared round rice cakes like Kagami-mochi with family and children to get energy for the new year.
Over time, people started giving money instead, which became the gift we get today.
When you get one, be sure to say a polite "Thank you!"

Many Happy Pictures

Each picture on Pochi-bukuro (Otoshidama Envelopes) has a special meaning.
Cranes mean long life. Pine, bamboo, and plum blossoms are good luck because they stay strong in the cold winter.
Mount Fuji is the top mountain in Japan. Daruma dolls get back up when they fall, so they stand for trying your best again and again.
Spinning tops turn smoothly, so people wish for things in life to go smoothly too.
Every year, people make many Pochi-bukuro (Otoshidama Envelopes) with that year's zodiac animal.

Before You Get New Year's Money

Relatives often give you New Year's money when everyone meets up for New Year's Day.
Look closely at your Pochi-bukuro (Otoshidama Envelopes) and talk about the pictures on them!

3 Coloring Pages

There are 3 coloring pages.
The 1st page shows a Pochi-bukuro (Otoshidama Envelopes) with a crane spreading its wings, plum blossoms, and clouds.
The 2nd page features many Pochi-bukuro (Otoshidama Envelopes) with the zodiac sheep, Mount Fuji, a Daruma doll, pine, bamboo, plum, a top, and a battledore.
The 3rd page is a detailed coloring page of a traditional Japanese room at New Year's, with Pochi-bukuro (Otoshidama Envelopes), Kagami-mochi, a battledore, and top spinning.
It is fun to look at the colored pictures and design your very own Pochi-bukuro (Otoshidama Envelopes)!

Make it festive with red, white, and gold

If you use red, white, and gold for your Pochi-bukuro (Otoshidama Envelopes), they will look happily ready for New Year's!
For gold, if you layer a little orange gently over yellow, it looks just like real gold.
If you color the envelope background light pink or light light-blue and use dark colors for the pictures, the pictures will pop right out!

The best colors for each picture

For the crane, make its body white, color just the top of its head red, and make its neck and wingtips gray. Then it looks like a real red-crowned crane!
The sheep can be white or cream, Mount Fuji is blue with white snow, and the Daruma doll is red.
Color the pine tree dark green, the bamboo yellow-green, and the plum blossoms pink or red to make them all look different.

Mizuhiki cords and a Japanese room

For the decorative Mizuhiki cords, use red and white turn by turn, or color them gold.
On the third page, color the tatami mats light green or light yellowish-brown, the sliding doors cream, and the display alcove pillar brown. That makes a nice, relaxing Japanese room!
Color the mandarin orange orange, and color the cat in any color you like best!

Your very own Pochi-bukuro (Otoshidama Envelopes)

It is lots of fun to color the Pochi-bukuro (Otoshidama Envelopes) coloring page in your favorite colors, cut them out with scissors, and put them on display!
Even with the same crane picture, changing the envelope to red or white changes the whole feel.
If you make all 5 Pochi-bukuro (Otoshidama Envelopes) on the second page different background colors, your tray will look so colorful and lively!
Try coloring the bells gold, and color the plum blossoms pink and red one after the other.

Sanpo trays are wood color

Color the Sanpo wooden tray holding the Pochi-bukuro (Otoshidama Envelopes) on the third page in a light wood color or white.

How to put in the bills

When you put your Otoshidama money into a Pochi-bukuro (Otoshidama Envelopes), it is polite to fold the bill so the face printed on it shows on the front side.
Sometimes, people write the name of the person getting the money on the front of the envelope, and the name of the person giving it on the back.

Making your own Pochi-bukuro (Otoshidama Envelopes)

You can make your own Pochi-bukuro (Otoshidama Envelopes) by folding origami paper or wrapping paper.
If you draw your favorite pictures or put stickers on it, you will have a Pochi-bukuro (Otoshidama Envelopes) that is the only one in the whole world!

How to use your Otoshidama

You can use the Otoshidama you get to buy things you want, or you can save it.
It is a good idea to talk with your family to decide how to use it.

Pochi-bukuro (Otoshidama Envelopes) and Mizuhiki

Some Pochi-bukuro (Otoshidama Envelopes) have a picture of "Mizuhiki," which is a decoration tied with red and white strings.
Mizuhiki is a decoration that shows feelings of celebration or thanks.
A bow-knot Mizuhiki can be tied over and over again, so it is used for happy events that you want to happen again and again.
Getting Otoshidama makes you happy every year, so the bow-knot Mizuhiki is a perfect match!

The size of Pochi-bukuro (Otoshidama Envelopes)

Many Pochi-bukuro (Otoshidama Envelopes) are small and hold bills folded into three parts. For big celebrations, people use a large envelope called a Noshibukuro.