ワリカン

• Reading: ワリカン
• Romaji: warikan
• Kanji breakdown: From 割り勘定: 割り (to divide, split) + 勘定 (account, bill) → split the bill. Shortened to ワリカン in casual speech
• Pronunciation: /wa.ɾi.kaɴ/

Meaning

Splitting the bill equally among everyone in the group, regardless of what each person ordered.

ワリカン is the default approach to paying at group meals in Japan, especially among friends and colleagues. Unlike Western 'going Dutch' where each person pays for what they ordered, Japanese ワリカン typically means dividing the total bill equally. This is so ingrained that many izakaya have ワリカン buttons on their payment terminals. However, generational and gender norms around ワリカン are shifting — younger couples increasingly split bills, while older norms expected men to pay.

Examples

1. 今日のご飯はワリカンでいい？一人3000円くらいだと思う。 Is it cool if we split the bill today? I think it'll be about ¥3,000 each.
2. デートでワリカンってあり？なし？って話、永遠に終わらないよね。 The debate over whether splitting the bill on a date is okay or not is never going to end.
3. ワリカンなのにめっちゃ高いもの頼む人いると正直モヤる。 It honestly bugs me when someone orders expensive stuff knowing we're splitting evenly.

Usage Guide

Context: dining, friends, dating, daily conversation

Tone: practical, matter-of-fact

Do Say

• 今日はワリカンにしよう！ (Let's split the bill today!)
• ワリカンアプリ使えば計算楽だよ。 (Using a bill-splitting app makes the calculation easy.)

Don't Say

• 目上の人やおごってくれようとしている人に「ワリカンにしましょう」と言うのは失礼なことがある (Suggesting to split the bill when a senior or someone offering to treat you can be rude)

Common Mistakes

• Assuming ワリカン means paying only for what you ordered — in most cases it means dividing the total equally, which can feel unfair if you ordered less

Origin & History

Short for 割り勘定 (split the bill/account). 割り (split/divide) + 勘定 (bill/account). The shortened form ワリカン has been used since at least the Showa era and is standard in casual speech.

Cultural Context

Era: Showa era onwards, dating debate intensified from 2010s

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal

Regional notes: Used across all of Japan. The debate over whether dates should be ワリカン is a perennial topic on social media and dating advice columns.