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" Going Dutch" (sometimes written with lower-case dutch) is a term that indicates that each person participating in a paid activity covers their own expenses, rather than any one person in the group defraying the cost for the entire group. The term stems from restaurant dining etiquette in the Western world, where each person pays for their meal. It is also called Dutch date, Dutch treat (the oldest form, a pejorative), and doing Dutch.
A derivative is " sharing Dutch", having a joint ownership of luxury goods. For example: four people share the ownership of a plane, boat, car, or any other sharable high-end product. This in order to minimize cost, sharing the same passion for that particular product and to have the maximum usage of this product.
In Chile and Uruguay, the phrase used is hacer una vaca ('to make a cow'). In this case, a person is designated as the "bank" (the one who collects the money) and is reimbursed by the others. This system is used either when planning things to buy for a party, or when paying the bill in a restaurant.
In Panama, the phrase mita (or miti) y mita ('half and half') is used; it refers to both "going Dutch" and to splitting the check equally.
In Guatemala, a sing-song phrase is used: " A la ley de Cristo, cada quien con su pisto" (). Pisto is a stewed dish similar to ratatouille, and is used in this phrase as a stand-in for food in general. It is similar in Honduras, where the phrase is " Como dijo Cristo, cada quien con su pisto" (). In Honduras, the word pisto is commonly used to denote money, rather than the stew itself.
In El Salvador, a different rhyming phrase is used: " Ley de Esparta: cada quien paga lo que se harta", which means ' law: each pays for what they eat'.
A system is known as ir con Cuyo, literally 'to go with Cuyo'— Cuyo is a placeholder name, like "John Doe" in English). If one of the diners asks " Quien es Cuyo? ('Who is Cuyo?') another may respond that he or she will pay the bill, or may suggest " cada uno con lo suyo", 'each with his own', meaning each person should pay for what they ate.
In Brazil, the slang word rachar is used for the same purpose, or when it is too expensive, the group shares the total so everyone pays the same.
In Mexico, the phrase evento de traje, literally 'a white-tie event' is used in the context where all participants are expected to contribute, either monetarily or in kind. It is derived from the homonyms traje (a conjugation of the verb traer meaning 'I brought') and traje ('suit').
In North Korea, where rigid social systems are still in place, it is most common for the person of the highest social standing, such as a boss or an elder figure, to pay the bill. This not only applies in a 1 to 1 situation but also in groups. Among the younger generation, it is quite common for friends to alternate when paying the bill, or for one to pay for dinner and another to pay for drinks.
In South Korea, "going Dutch" is called "Dutch pay" (더치페이), a Konglish loan phrase. For romantic dates, men usually pay.
In the People's Republic of China, after a group meal, it is expected that the bill be paid by the person who has highest social standing or highest income, or by the person who made the invitation. A group of friends or colleagues who dine together regularly will often take turns paying the bill. Men often pay for the initial romantic dates, however after several dates, it is not uncommon for women to take a turn at paying for dates. It is not uncommon among groups of strangers or sometimes younger generations to split the bill; payment platforms and WeChat Pay and Alipay have a built-in bill-sharing feature.
In Pakistan, going Dutch is sometimes referred to as the "American system". This practice is more prevalent among the younger age group, friends, colleagues and some family members to request separate bills. In Urdu, the practice is called apna apna, which means 'each his own'. In a group, going Dutch generally means splitting the bill equally.
In Bangladesh it is common to use the term je je, jar jar (যে যে,যার যার) 'his his, whose whose'.
In Nepal, people may say aafno aafno () meaning each person pays for their own. to pay for your own. Young people may use English phrases such as "going together, paying separate".
In the Philippines, it is referred to as KKB, an acronym for kanya-kanyang bayad which means 'pay for your own self'. KKB would generally be the norm among friends or people of similar financial standing. It is general practice to have the male answer the bill especially during courtship or when in romantic relationships.
In Thailand, the practice is referred to as อเมริกันแชร์, 'American share'.
In Iraq, the expression is Maṣlawiya (مصلاوية), referring to the people of Mosul who are supposedly stingy.
In Syria, Palestine, Lebanon, and Jordan, the expression is shamia (شامية), referring to the people of Damascus in Syria, who are supposedly stingy. A similar expression is sherke halabieh (meaning 'sharing the Aleppo way'), bearing a similar connotation.
In Turkey, the corresponding phrase is hesabı Alman usulü ödemek, which can be translated into English as 'to pay the bill the German way'; in short form, it is Alman usûlü, 'German-style'.
In Iran, it is called Dongi (دنگی), which translates into 'sharing equally'. It is used usually among close friends and the young when they are not invited by a specific host. Otherwise, the host will not allow anybody to pay, according to Persian hospitality norms. The practice has become quite common in Iran.
In the Nordic countries and the Netherlands, going Dutch is the norm for almost every visit to a restaurant, with larger groups being the exception, especially on more formal occasions. Though the Scandinavian countries are some of the most gender-equal in the world, it is still common and mostly expected for men (in a heterosexual context) to pay for lunch/dinner on romantic dates. One exception to this norm is in the case of a woman asking a man out, where it would be considered polite for the woman to pay the bill. If a date is over fika (in Sweden), the parties usually go Dutch, because of the usually smaller price tag.
In Italy the phrase pagare alla romana ('to pay as the Romans do', 'to pay Roman-style') describes sharing a bill in equal parts. "Pagare alla romana" sul sito dell'Accademia della Crusca.
In Greece, the practice is colloquially called refené.
In Catalonia "going Dutch" is the rule among Catalans.
In France, faire moitié-moitié (colloquially faire moit'-moit'), literally 'make half-and-half', which means each one pays an equal portion of the bill. For romantic dates, the traditional practice is that the man pays. In a business meeting, the hosting party usually pays for all – it is considered rude not to do so.
In Portugal is called contas à moda do Porto meaning Porto's style bills or a meias meaning half-half/splitting the cost.
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