お金が飛ぶ
Meaning: Money flies away — an expression meaning your money disappears rapidly and seemingly without trace.
お金が飛ぶ captures the universal feeling of money vanishing faster than expected. It's used when you look at your bank balance and can't figure out where everything went. The image of money literally 'flying away' (飛ぶ) is vivid and relatable. It's especially common around tax season, after travel, during sales events, or during social seasons with many gatherings. People often pair it with specific culprits: 'サブスクでお金が飛ぶ' or '飲み会でお金が飛ぶ.'
Examples
- 年末年始ってお金が飛ぶよね、忘年会に新年会にお年玉に…。 年底年初钱飞得真快啊,忘年会、新年会、压岁钱……A fin de año el dinero se esfuma, ¿no? Entre cenas de empresa, fiestas de Año Nuevo y aguinaldos…연말연시에는 돈이 날아가지, 송년회에 신년회에 세뱃돈에….
- 今月もなんか知らないけどお金が飛んでった。どこ行った? 这个月也不知道怎么回事钱就飞了。都去哪儿了?Este mes también se me ha esfumado el dinero sin saber por qué. ¿Adónde ha ido?이번 달도 왠지 모르게 돈이 날아갔어. 어디로 간 거야?
- 推し活始めてからお金が飛ぶスピードが尋常じゃない。 自从开始追星,花钱的速度快得离谱。Desde que empecé con el oshikatsu, la velocidad a la que se esfuma el dinero no es normal.오시카츠 시작하고 나서 돈이 날아가는 속도가 보통이 아니야.
Pronunciation
/o.ka.ne.ɡa.to.bu/
Usage Guide
Context: daily conversation, social media, friends
Tone: exasperated, humorous
✓ Do Say
- 12月はお金が飛ぶ月だよね。 (December is the month money flies away, right?)12月真是花钱如流水的月份啊。Diciembre es el mes en que el dinero se esfuma, ¿no?12월은 돈이 날아가는 달이지.
- サブスク見直さないとお金が飛ぶ一方だよ。 (If I don't review my subscriptions, money will just keep flying away.)不整理一下订阅服务的话,钱就一直往外飞。Si no reviso las suscripciones, el dinero va a seguir esfumándose sin parar.구독 서비스를 재검토 안 하면 돈이 계속 날아가기만 할 거야.
✗ Don't Say
- フォーマルな場で「お金が飛びました」は適切ではない — 「出費がかさみました」を使う (In formal situations, use 出費がかさみました instead of お金が飛ぶ)在正式场合用'钱飞了'不太合适——应该说'开支增加了'En situaciones formales, usa «los gastos se han acumulado» (出費がかさみました) en lugar de «el dinero se ha esfumado».공식적인 자리에서 '돈이 날아갔습니다'는 적절하지 않다 — '지출이 많았습니다(出費がかさみました)'를 사용한다
Common Mistakes
- Using お金が飛ぶ in business or formal writing — it's a casual, spoken expression. Use 出費がかさむ or 支出が増える for formal contexts
Origin & History
A colloquial expression using the verb 飛ぶ (to fly). The image of money having wings and flying away from your wallet has been used in Japanese for generations. Similar expressions exist in many languages ('money burns a hole in your pocket').
Cultural Context
Era: Long-standing colloquial expression, used across all eras
Generation: All ages
Social background: Universal
Regional notes: Used across all of Japan. Particularly common during financially intensive periods: year-end, New Year, Golden Week, and wedding season.
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