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Warikan (割り勘 – Dutch Treat) Part 1

  • When you have a meal with several people, especially share the dish on a large platter, the payment will usually become “warikan” (割り勘).

    割り勘 Part 1


    “Warikan” means that everyone who had meals together pays the same amount, which is the total cost of the meal divided by the number of people.
    複数人で食事をするとき、とくに大皿料理から分けて食べるようなとき、支払いは大抵「割り勘」になります。

    The word “warikan” is short for “warimae kanjō” (割り前勘定), here the “warimae” (割り前) means “amount to be allocated,” and the “kanjō” (勘定) menas “to pay for something.”
    「割り勘」とは、食事などにかかった費用を人数で割り、それぞれが同じ金額を支払うことを意味します。

    From a global viewpoint, it seems that there are many cases where one representative pays the full amount.
    「割り勘」は「割り前勘定」の略で、「割り前」は「割り当てる金額」を、「勘定」は「代金を支払うこと」を、それぞれ意味します。

    I heard that some countries don’t have a word directly referring to “warikan,” and some countries don’t have the concept of “warikan.”
    世界的に見ると、代表者1名が全額支払うことのほうが多いようで、国によっては「割り勘」の概念が存在しなかったり、直接「割り勘」を指す単語が存在しないようです。

    Tomorrow I’d like to introduce the way of thinking and expressing for “warikan” in some countries.
    明日は、各国の「割り勘」に対する考え方や、表現方法を紹介しようと思います。

    Original sentence