いくらですか
ikura desu ka
In Japanese, "how much is it?" is expressed as いくらですか (ikura desu ka).
The phrase いくらですか is a common way to ask for the price of a single item, a group of items or a service.
What does it mean word for word?
The word いくら literally means "how much" when used as an interrogative.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The level of politeness in Japanese varies by how much of the phrase you include or how you modify it. いくら？ is an informal way to ask "how much?", suitable for use with friends or in very casual settings. お値段はいくらですか？ is a polite formal expression meaning "What is the price?", while おいくらですか？ is a very polite formal expression meaning "How much may it be?"
How does it change in a sentence?
To ask how much something was in the past, change desu ka to deshita ka, resulting in いくらでしたか.
How do you pronounce it?
ikura desu ka
Did you know?
- The word いくら is also the name for salmon roe. While in this context it functions as 'how much', if you say the word alone without a particle or context, a listener might think you are talking about fish eggs.
- When paying, Japanese people often place their money on a small plastic tray rather than handing it directly to the cashier, even after asking いくらですか.
- The word いくら can also be used as a conjunction meaning 'no matter how much', such as in the phrase 'no matter how much I try'.
Examples in context
- すみません、これはいくらですか？Excuse me, how much is this?
- これはいくら？How much is this?
- これは一ついくらですか？How much is one of these?
- このりんごはいくらですか。kono ringo wa ikura desu ka.How much is this apple?
- そのかばんはいくらですか。sono kaban wa ikura desu ka.How much is that bag?
- 全部でいくらですか。zenbu de ikura desu ka.How much is it altogether?
Example conversation
Kenta and Himari are shopping at a fruit stall.
- 健太 Kentaこのみかんはいくらですか。kono mikan wa ikura desu ka.How much are these mandarin oranges?
- 陽葵 Himari五百円ですよ。gohyaku en desu yo.It is 500 yen.
- 健太 Kentaじゃあ、これをください。jaa, kore o kudasai.Then, I will take these, please.
- 陽葵 Himariありがとうございます。arigatou gozaimasu.Thank you very much.
