물을 쓰다

You will rarely see 물을 쓰다 standing completely alone in a sentence to mean 'spending.' Instead, you’ll usually see it in the form 물 쓰듯 하다 (to do something as if using water) or 물 쓰듯 쓰다 (to spend like using water). The most common partner for this phrase is 돈 (money). You simply put the thing being wasted at the start: 돈을 물 쓰듯 해요. It’s a very visual expression. You can almost see the bills flying out of a wallet like a splashing fountain. It’s punchy, descriptive, and carries a bit of a judgmental (but often funny) undertone.

This is your go-to phrase for high-drama spending moments. Use it when you’re gossiping with a friend about a celebrity’s lavish lifestyle. Use it when your sibling buys their fifth pair of designer sneakers this month. It’s also great for self-reflection after a vacation where you definitely overspent on souvenirs. You can use it in texts when a friend asks why you’re broke: "I spent money like water this weekend!" It fits perfectly in any casual or semi-formal conversation where someone is being a bit 'extra' with their resources.

Don't use this for necessary, calculated expenses. If you’re paying your rent or buying groceries, you aren't 'using money like water'—you’re just surviving. Also, avoid using this phrase to describe someone who is being genuinely generous or charitable. 물을 쓰다 implies a lack of thought or a sense of waste. If a billionaire builds a hospital, they aren't 'using money like water'; they are being a philanthropist. Lastly, don't use it in a very serious business meeting to describe a budget deficit unless you want to sound quite accusatory.

Why water? Historically, Korea is a mountainous country with many clean springs and rivers. Before modern plumbing and water bills, water was seen as a resource that was 'just there' for everyone to use. It was abundant and essentially free. Money, on the other hand, was always scarce and hard to earn. So, the metaphor highlights the absurdity of treating something precious (money) as if it were something common and infinite (water). It reflects a traditional Korean value of frugality and the shock one feels when seeing someone disregard that value.

The most popular variation is 돈을 물 쓰듯 하다. Another one you’ll hear often is 돈을 펑펑 쓰다, where 펑펑 is an onomatopoeia for something falling or pouring out in large amounts (like heavy snow or water). If you want to sound a bit more sophisticated, you might use 과소비 (excessive consumption), but that lacks the colorful imagery of the water metaphor. If you’re talking about someone who is naturally generous (in a good way), you might say they have a 큰 손 (big hand).