Bad Luck Gifts for Relationships: What Superstitions Say

You spent time thinking about the perfect gift. You wrapped it nicely. You felt good about it. And then someone at the table whispers, “You know that’s bad luck, right?”

Sounds familiar, right?

Gift-giving superstitions have been around for thousands of years across dozens of cultures.

Most people brush them off.

But if you are giving a gift to someone who grew up in a culture where these beliefs run deep, you want to know what to avoid – and why.

I break down the most common bad luck gifts for relationships, where each belief comes from, and what you can give instead.

An Overview of Bad Luck Gifts for Relationships

The table below gives you a quick overview of the origin of superstition linked to certain gifts, as well as what they symbolize:

Know What Makes a Gift “Unlucky” in the First Place

Before diving in, it helps to understand why these superstitions exist at all.

Most of them trace back to one of three things:

• Language: In Mandarin Chinese, the word for “clock” sounds almost identical to the phrase for “attending a funeral”. That is not a coincidence you want to repeat at someone’s wedding.
• Symbolism: Objects that are used in funerals, warfare, or rituals associated with death tend to carry that weight over into gift giving.
• History: Items that soldiers carried before going to war, or exchanged during mourning, gradually took on meanings tied to loss and separation.

9 Things You Need to Know About Bad Luck Gifts

Modern psychology points out that the meaning behind a gift matters more than the item itself, but that only works if both people share that understanding.

When they do not, the wrong gift can send a message you never intended.

So:

1. Think Before You Gift Sharp Objects

Knives and scissors sit at the very top of the bad luck gift list, and across more cultures than you might expect.

There’s a common saying in Chinese culture that says, “One slash and it’s in two parts”, meaning a sharp object symbolizes the end of a relationship between people. The same belief shows up in Japanese and several European traditions.

Sharp objects are also associated with Shar Chi in Feng Shui, a type of attacking energy believed to bring conflict and ill intentions.

There is a workaround, though.

If the receiver gives something small, like a coin, in return, the exchange becomes a transaction rather than a gift, and this neutralizes the bad luck.

If the couple has listed knives on their wedding registry, you are in safer territory and within the terms of wedding gift etiquette. They asked for it, which changes the energy entirely. Outside of that, go with something else.

2. Skip the Shoes

Shoes are one of the more geographically widespread bad luck gifts for relationships.

In Chinese culture, the word for “shoe” sounds similar to the word for “evil,” making footwear a gift that essentially wishes bad luck on the recipient. In other parts of Asia, the concern is more symbolic: giving shoes means enabling someone to “walk away” from the relationship, inviting emotional or physical distance.

That said:

Western wedding tradition has a different read entirely. Tying shoes to the back of a newlywed’s car is a symbol of luck. So the shoe superstition is genuinely cultural and it depends on whom you are buying for.

If you still want to gift shoes, the fix is simple: put some cash inside the shoe so the recipient symbolically “purchases” them from you, neutralizing the bad luck.

3. Put the Perfume Back on the Shelf

Perfume feels like a safe, elegant gift. In some cultures, it is. But it’s not quite in others. 

Indian superstition treats gifting perfume as bad luck outright. Chinese tradition takes it a step further, and their belief is that a new scent on your partner could attract the wrong kind of attention from outside the relationship.

If your partner loves fragrance, the cleaner move is to give them a gift card to their favorite perfume counter and let them choose. It sidesteps the superstition entirely, and honestly, most people prefer to pick their own scent anyway.

4. Watch Out With Watches and Clocks

This one is serious business in Chinese culture, and for a very specific reason.

In Mandarin, the phrase “giving a clock” sounds exactly like the phrase for “attending a funeral ritual”. On top of that, clocks and watches also symbolize the running out of time, an especially uncomfortable reminder for older recipients.

In Western cultures, a fine watch is generally a positive gift. It signals success and prosperity.

So again, context matters.

But if you are buying for someone with Chinese heritage, a watch is one of the clearest gift taboos you can stumble into, for real. Swap it for something decorative that does not count down time.

5. Leave the Mirror Off Your Gift List

Mirrors carry a lot of baggage across multiple belief systems.

Many cultures believe that mirrors are among the unluckiest gifts one can give. That’s so particularly in Asian belief systems where mirrors are thought to invite harmful spirits into the life of the recipient.

In Chinese legend, mirrors were often portrayed as portals through which demons and evil spirits could enter the physical world.

The Western angle is slightly different: the concern is that an antique or second-hand mirror could carry the energy of its previous owner, which may not always be a good thing.

If someone asks you to contribute toward decorating a new home, consider a piece of wall art, a plant, or a housewarming gift that brings a cleaner kind of energy into the space.

6. Avoid the Handkerchief

This one surprises people, but the reasoning is fairly straightforward once you know it.

In both Eastern and Western cultures, handkerchiefs were often given as keepsakes to soldiers heading off to war.

Because so many soldiers never returned, these items became a symbol of separation and loss. In Sweden specifically, a man is never supposed to give his lover a silk handkerchief, as it is said she will wipe away her affection for him.

In Chinese culture, handkerchiefs are a funeral item. People generally give handkerchiefs at the end of a funeral as a symbol of saying goodbye forever.

There are few situations where a handkerchief is the obvious gift choice anyway. If you are looking for something personal and fabric-based, a monogrammed robe or a quality linen set makes a much warmer gesture.

7. Be Careful With Candles

Candles are trickier than you might think.

In Chinese culture, candles are used almost exclusively alongside offerings for the dead. Whether they are flameless, scented, or ordinary, candles in this context carry associations with mourning rather than celebration.

In other traditions, gifting a candle is interpreted as symbolically “burning” the bond between giver and receiver.

That said, in most Western contexts, a beautifully presented candle from a well-known brand reads as thoughtful and personal.

For example, a luxury-scented candle from a brand the couple loves is usually a safe bet for a bridal shower gift or a housewarming gift.

And as long as you are not gifting to someone for whom candles carry a funeral association, you shouldn’t have to worry about giving a candle as a gift.

8.  Think Before Gifting Gloves

The glove superstition goes all the way back to the medieval period.

Giving gloves is associated with having a fight with that person, a belief rooted in the image of knights throwing down a gauntlet as a challenge to battle.

The romantic version of the same belief is that gifting gloves to a partner signals the beginning of the end.

The workaround is the same as with knives: the recipient can give something small in return to “buy” the gloves and break the symbolism. But if you can choose something else, do that instead.

9. Never Give an Empty Wallet or Purse

If you plan to gift a wallet or purse, fill it first.

An Italian tradition holds that giving an empty purse or wallet was too close to wishing financial ruin on the recipient, so a coin was always placed inside to ensure the owner would never be without money.

Chinese culture takes a similar view.

This is one of the easiest bad luck gifts for relationship to fix. Tuck in some cash, a gift card, or even a single meaningful coin before you hand it over. Problem solved.

What to Gift Instead

If you have run through this list and second-guessed half your gift ideas, here are a few directions that carry positive associations across most cultures:

• Experiences: Dinner reservations, a weekend trip, or a cooking class sidesteps the object-based superstitions entirely.
• Plants: Lucky bamboo and peace lilies are widely considered gifts of positive energy and growth.
• Personalized keepsakes: Most photo gifts, custom artwork, or engraved pieces carry sentiment without symbolic baggage.
• Food and wine: Shared consumables read as celebration across virtually every culture.

For couples specifically, romantic gifts for couples, wedding gifts and anniversary gifts that lean into experiences or shared use tend to land better than standalone objects. And they come with none of the cultural strings attached.

My Personal Take for Bad Luck Gifts

Here’s what I have to say: 

No gift has ruined a good relationship on its own. But knowing what to avoid shows a level of care that good gift-giving is built on.

Whether you believe in these superstitions or not, your recipient might. And that is reason enough to pay attention.