B1 Collocation محايد

돈을 계산하다.

doneul gyesanhada.

Count money.

Phrase in 30 Seconds

Master the art of paying and counting in Korea.

  • Means: To calculate the total cost or literally count physical money.
  • Used in: Restaurants, shops, and when splitting bills with friends.
  • Don't confuse: '계산하다' (calculate/pay) with '내다' (simply to pay/give).
💸 + 🧮 = 💳 (Money + Calculation = Settling the Bill)

Explanation at your level:

This phrase means 'to count money' or 'to pay'. You use it at a store. '돈' is money. '계산하다' is to count. When you finish eating at a restaurant, you go to the front and say '계산해 주세요'. This is very simple and important for travel.
In Korean, '돈을 계산하다' is used when you need to find the total price or pay the bill. You will see '계산대' (checkout counter) in every supermarket. You can use it to ask 'Where do I pay?' (어디서 계산해요?). It is a combination of a native word and a Chinese-root word.
At the B1 level, you should distinguish between literally counting cash and the social act of paying. This collocation is essential for daily life and social interactions. It also appears in metaphorical contexts, such as being 'calculating' with people. You should also learn related terms like '영수증' (receipt) and '거스름돈' (change) to use this phrase effectively in dialogues.
This phrase encompasses both the mechanical act of arithmetic and the transactional act of settling debts. At this level, you should understand the nuance between '계산하다' and '결제하다'. While the former is general, the latter is specific to the authorization of payment. You should also be comfortable using the phrase in the context of '정산' (finalizing accounts) after group events, reflecting a deeper grasp of Korean social financial norms.
Beyond the transactional, '돈을 계산하다' serves as a linguistic window into Korean interpersonal pragmatics. It often carries a pejorative connotation when applied to relationships, suggesting a lack of sincerity (진심) in favor of material gain. Mastery involves recognizing these subtle shifts in register and tone, especially in literary or cinematic contexts where financial calculation symbolizes moral decay or extreme realism.
From a cognitive linguistics perspective, '돈을 계산하다' exemplifies the conceptual metaphor of 'Social Interaction as Economic Exchange'. Mastery at the C2 level requires an intuitive understanding of how this phrase interacts with honorific systems and the 'Chemyon' (face-saving) culture. One must be able to navigate the delicate balance between the literal 'calculation' of costs and the figurative 'calculation' of social capital, often requiring the use of highly specific synonyms like '지불', '납부', or '상환' depending on the legal or fiscal context.

المعنى

To tally up an amount of currency.

🌍

خلفية ثقافية

The 'Bill Fight': It is common to see people arguing over who gets to pay. It's a sign of 'Jeong' (affection/bonding). N-bbang (엔빵): Derived from '1/N', this is the standard for splitting bills among younger Koreans to ensure fairness. Hoesik (Company Dinners): Usually, the highest-ranking person or the company card '계산's for everyone. Mobile Payments: Apps like KakaoPay and Toss have made '계산' a digital notification rather than a physical exchange.

💡

Redundancy

You can often drop '돈을' and just say '계산할게요'. It sounds more natural and concise.

⚠️

Stinginess

Be careful using this phrase to describe people. Saying someone '계산적이다' (is calculating) is a significant insult in Korea.

المعنى

To tally up an amount of currency.

💡

Redundancy

You can often drop '돈을' and just say '계산할게요'. It sounds more natural and concise.

⚠️

Stinginess

Be careful using this phrase to describe people. Saying someone '계산적이다' (is calculating) is a significant insult in Korea.

🎯

The Magic Phrase

If you want to treat a group, say '제가 쏠게요!' instead of '제가 계산할게요' for a much warmer, friendlier vibe.

💬

The Receipt

After you '계산', the staff will ask '영수증 필요하세요?' (Do you need a receipt?). You can say '아니요, 괜찮아요'.

اختبر نفسك

Fill in the blank with the correct form of '계산하다'.

식당에서 밥을 다 먹고 나서 ____.

✓ صحيح! ✗ ليس تمامًا. الإجابة الصحيحة: 계산해요

After eating at a restaurant, you 'calculate' (pay) the bill.

Complete the dialogue between two friends.

A: 오늘 점심은 내가 낼게. B: 아니야, 지난번에도 네가 했잖아. 오늘은 ____.

✓ صحيح! ✗ ليس تمامًا. الإجابة الصحيحة: 같이 계산하자

B is suggesting they split the bill or pay together since A paid last time.

Match the phrase to the correct situation.

Situation: You are at the checkout counter of a supermarket.

✓ صحيح! ✗ ليس تمامًا. الإجابة الصحيحة: 계산해 주세요

This is the standard polite request to the cashier to process your payment.

Which sentence uses the phrase metaphorically?

Choose the sentence that describes a person's personality.

✓ صحيح! ✗ ليس تمامًا. الإجابة الصحيحة: 그는 너무 돈을 계산하며 친구를 사귄다.

This implies the person is 'calculating' or pragmatic/selfish in their social life.

🎉 النتيجة: /4

وسائل تعلم بصرية

Paying vs. Counting

계산하다
Paying the bill Settling the total
세다
Counting bills 1, 2, 3...

الأسئلة الشائعة

12 أسئلة

Yes! '수학 문제를 계산하다' means to solve/calculate a math problem.

Use '계산하다' when YOU are doing the action. Use '계산되다' when the amount is being processed by a machine.

You can say '각자 계산해 주세요' (Please calculate individually).

'계산' is the general act of tallying/paying. '결제' is the technical term for the transaction being approved.

Yes, it's better to say '식사 대접하겠습니다' (I will treat you to a meal).

No, for time we use '시간을 재다' (measure time) or '계획하다' (plan time).

It can mean someone is good at mental math OR someone is quick to see where their profit lies.

In Korea, the price on the menu almost always includes VAT, so the '계산' is straightforward.

Yes, '위험을 계산하다' is used in business and strategy.

'계산' is the initial payment. '정산' is the final balancing of accounts (e.g., at the end of the month).

'계산이 틀렸어요' or '계산이 잘못됐어요'.

Yes, they are used interchangeably, but '계산대' is the native/Sino-Korean term.

عبارات ذات صلة

🔗

돈을 내다

similar

To pay money

🔗

결제하다

specialized form

To settle/process payment

🔗

정산하다

builds on

To settle up accounts

🔗

한턱내다

similar

To treat someone

🔄

값을 치르다

synonym

To pay the price

أين تستخدمها

🍽️

At a Restaurant

Customer: 저기요, 계산해 주세요.

Staff: 네, 총 2만 원입니다.

neutral
👭

Splitting with Friends

Minji: 우리 돈 어떻게 계산할까?

Sumi: 그냥 엔빵(N-bbang)하자!

informal
🛒

At a Grocery Store

Cashier: 봉투 필요하세요? 계산 도와드릴게요.

Customer: 네, 카드로 계산할게요.

neutral
💼

Business Meeting

Manager: 예산을 다시 계산해 봐야겠어요.

Employee: 네, 내일까지 보고하겠습니다.

formal
❤️

Dating

A: 오늘 즐거웠어. 내가 계산할게.

B: 아니야, 같이 계산하자.

informal
📱

Online Shopping

User: 왜 계산이 안 되지?

Support: 결제 수단을 다시 확인해 주세요.

neutral

Memorize It

Mnemonic

Think of 'Gye-san' as 'Guessing the Sum' (though it's more precise than guessing!).

Visual Association

Imagine a person holding a smartphone (돈) over a calculator (계산) at a restaurant counter.

Rhyme

돈을 계산, 기분은 비상! (Calculate money, mood is soaring! - usually when you have enough!)

Story

You go to a cafe. You see the 'Don' (money) in your wallet. You use a 'Gyesan-gi' (calculator) to 'Gyesan' (calculate) if you can afford the cake. The cashier smiles and says 'Gyesan' is done!

Word Web

계산기 (calculator)계산대 (counter)계산서 (bill)돈 (money)결제 (payment)환불 (refund)거스름돈 (change)영수증 (receipt)

تحدٍّ

Next time you are at a shop, look for the sign '계산대' and mentally say '여기서 돈을 계산해요'.

In Other Languages

Spanish high

Hacer la cuenta

Spanish uses 'pagar' more frequently for the act of paying than Korean uses '내다' in commercial settings.

French high

Faire l'addition

French 'addition' is specifically for restaurants, while '계산' is used for all types of shops.

German moderate

Die Rechnung begleichen

German separates the act of 'counting' (zählen) strictly from 'paying' (bezahlen).

Japanese high

お会計をする (O-kaikei o suru)

Japanese often adds the honorific 'O' to 'Kaikei', whereas Korean rarely says '오계산'.

Arabic high

حساب المال (Hisab al-mal)

In Arabic, 'Hisab' can also mean 'judgment' or 'reckoning' in a religious sense more frequently than in Korean.

Chinese moderate

结账 (Jiézhàng)

Chinese uses '买单' (mǎidān) colloquially, which literally means 'buy the list', a nuance not present in Korean.

Portuguese high

Fazer a conta

Portuguese speakers might use 'fechar a conta' (close the account) specifically when leaving a bar.

English moderate

Settle the bill / Tally up

English rarely uses the word 'calculate' when standing at a cash register.

Easily Confused

돈을 계산하다. مقابل 돈을 세다

Both involve numbers and money.

Use '세다' for the physical action of counting 1, 2, 3. Use '계산하다' for the total price or paying.

돈을 계산하다. مقابل 돈을 벌다

Both start with 'Don'.

'벌다' is to earn/make money. '계산하다' is to count or spend it.

الأسئلة الشائعة (12)

Yes! '수학 문제를 계산하다' means to solve/calculate a math problem.

Use '계산하다' when YOU are doing the action. Use '계산되다' when the amount is being processed by a machine.

You can say '각자 계산해 주세요' (Please calculate individually).

'계산' is the general act of tallying/paying. '결제' is the technical term for the transaction being approved.

Yes, it's better to say '식사 대접하겠습니다' (I will treat you to a meal).

No, for time we use '시간을 재다' (measure time) or '계획하다' (plan time).

It can mean someone is good at mental math OR someone is quick to see where their profit lies.

In Korea, the price on the menu almost always includes VAT, so the '계산' is straightforward.

Yes, '위험을 계산하다' is used in business and strategy.

'계산' is the initial payment. '정산' is the final balancing of accounts (e.g., at the end of the month).

'계산이 틀렸어요' or '계산이 잘못됐어요'.

Yes, they are used interchangeably, but '계산대' is the native/Sino-Korean term.

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