Key Facts
- Korean: 계산서, Revised Romanization gyesanseo
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: Sino-Korean, 計算書 (計 count + 算 calculate + 書 document)
- Register: neutral; used in restaurants
- Related verb: 계산하다, to pay
Bill in Korean: What Does 계산서 Mean?
계산서 means the bill or check: the document that shows the total before you pay. After payment you receive an 영수증, a receipt.
How Do You Pronounce 계산서?
계산서 has three syllables, [gye-san-seo]. The standard rules also allow 계 to be said [ge], which is how most speakers say it.
Restaurant Examples with 계산서
계산서 주세요.
Gyesanseo juseyo.
The bill, please.
The noun plus 주세요, "please give me". Use it where staff bring the bill to the table.
계산서가 여기 있습니다.
Gyesanseoga yeogi itseumnida.
Here is the bill.
What a server says when handing over the bill. 있습니다 is the formal polite ending used by staff.
계산서를 확인해 주세요.
Gyesanseoreul hwaginhae juseyo.
Please check the bill.
Use this if a dish looks wrong on the bill. 확인해 주세요 means "please check".
Phrases with 계산서
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 계산서를 주세요 | give me the bill |
| 계산서를 확인하다 | to check the bill |
| 계산서가 나오다 | the bill comes |
계산서가 나오다 literally means "the bill comes out", and is how Koreans say the bill has arrived.
A Common Mistake with 계산서
- Wrong: saying 계산서 주세요 and then waiting at the table in a pay-at-the-counter restaurant.
- Correct: take your table's bill to the counter and say 계산해 주세요.
In many Korean restaurants nobody brings the bill to the table. 계산할게요 ("I'll pay") is also common when you stand up to leave.
계산서 Compared with 영수증 and 계산
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 계산서 | bill | Shown before paying |
| 영수증 | receipt | Proof of payment after paying |
| 계산 | payment / calculation | The act of paying: 계산할게요 |
계산서 is the paper, 계산 is the act, and 영수증 is what you keep afterwards.
Checking an Extra Item at the Counter
A diner notices a drink on the bill that the table did not order. The exchange starts with a request to check the bill, followed by the specific problem.
Customer
계산서를 확인해 주세요.
Gyesanseoreul hwaginhae juseyo.
Please check the bill.
Staff
어떤 부분이요?
Eotteon bubuniyo?
Which part?
Customer
이 음료는 안 시켰어요.
I eumnyoneun an sikyeosseoyo.
We didn’t order this drink.
Staff
죄송합니다. 다시 확인할게요.
Joesonghamnida. Dasi hwaginhalgeyo.
I’m sorry. I’ll check again.
이 음료는 안 시켰어요 means “We didn't order this drink”. 시켰어요 is the past form of 시키다, a common verb for ordering food or drinks. Naming the item gives staff something concrete to check. Once the amount is right, 카드로 계산할게요 means “I’ll pay by card”. 카드로 names the payment method.
What Can You Read on a 계산서?
A restaurant bill may list each menu item, its 수량 (quantity), and its 금액 (amount). 합계 means the total. If two identical dishes appear on one line, the quantity column can explain why the amount is higher than the menu price for one serving. Read the quantity and total together before assuming the price itself is wrong.
계산서를 확인하다 means to check the bill. 확인하다 is neutral and works for checking whether information is right. A request using 확인해 주세요 is polite without making an accusation. You can point to a line while speaking, so you do not need to know the name of every column to raise a question.
Useful Phrases When People Share a Meal
제가 계산할게요 means “I'll pay” or “It's on me”. 제가 identifies the speaker as the person taking responsibility for paying. Among friends, the sentence may be an offer to cover the whole meal. At a counter, context can simply make it an announcement that you are paying now.
따로 계산해 주세요 means “Please charge us separately”. 따로 asks for separation; it does not specify equal shares. If your group wants each person to pay for their own order, explain that before payment is processed. A restaurant's ability to divide a payment depends on its setup, so the phrase makes a request rather than stating a guaranteed service.
계산서를 받다 means to receive a bill. The ending 서 in 계산서 points to a document, while 계산하다 describes an action. This difference explains why 계산해 주세요 can complete a payment request without asking anyone to bring a piece of paper.
Does 계산서 Translate Every Kind of English “Bill”?
No. The restaurant sense is the focus here. A request for payment sent by a utility company is usually a 청구서 or 고지서. A banknote is a 지폐. These English meanings share one spelling, but Korean uses different nouns. If someone asks about an “electricity bill”, start with the household-payment vocabulary rather than the restaurant phrase 계산서 주세요.
Words beside 계산서 at the Payment Counter
| Korean | Meaning | Where it helps |
|---|---|---|
| 계산대 | payment counter | The place where you pay. |
| 카드 | card | 카드로 identifies the payment method. |
| 현금 | cash | The alternative to a card payment. |
| 합계 | total | Look for the combined amount owed. |
Use the restaurant vocabulary lesson for the sequence from ordering through payment, then keep the receipt word 영수증 ready for the final step.
Quick Self-Test
- Which document proves that you have paid: 계산서 or 영수증?
- What does 따로 계산해 주세요 request?
- Does 지폐 mean a restaurant bill?
Show answers
- 영수증, the receipt.
- Separate payments.
- No. It means a banknote.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do You Ask for the Bill in Korean?
At a table-service restaurant, say 계산서 주세요, "the bill, please". In many Korean restaurants, though, you pay at the counter by the door, so the more useful phrase is 계산해 주세요, "please let me pay", said at the counter. Both are polite.
What Is the Difference between 계산서 and 영수증?
계산서 is the bill you get before paying; it shows what you owe. 영수증 is the receipt you get after paying, as proof of payment. Staff often ask whether you want the receipt once you have paid, so learn both words.
What Does 계산할게요 Mean?
계산할게요 means "I'll pay" or "I'll get the bill". It comes from 계산하다, to pay or calculate, with an ending that announces your intention. Say it to a friend when you want to treat them, or to staff when you are ready to pay.
Do You Pay at the Table in Korea?
Often not. In many Korean restaurants you take the bill, or just your table number, to the counter by the door and pay there. Upscale and Western-style restaurants may bring the bill to the table. If no one comes, go to the counter.
Related Words and Next Steps
- Learn more restaurant vocabulary for ordering and paying.
- Find more single words like bill in the Korean words A to Z index.
- Ordering in instead? See delivery in Korean.
- Review bill (계산서) with the vocabulary flashcard decks.