Learn how to ask how much something costs
Now Playing: Lesson Audio
Get a breakdown of the dialogue and translations instantly with the Premium line-by-line Audio. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.
Get this lesson’s key vocab, their translations and pronunciations. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.
Unlock Lesson Notes and Transcripts for every single lesson. Sign Up for a Free Lifetime Account and Get 7 Days of Premium Access.
| Introduction |
| John: Asking How Much Something Costs. In this lesson, you'll learn how to ask how much something costs in Japanese. |
| Body |
| John: Here's a formal way to ask "How much does this cost?" in Japanese. |
| Risa: [Normal] これはいくらですか。(Kore wa ikura desu ka.) |
| John: First is a word meaning "this." |
| Risa: [Normal] これ [Slow] これ (kore) |
| John: Next is the topic particle. |
| Risa: [Normal] は [Slow] は (wa) |
| John: Next is the word meaning "how much." |
| Risa: [Normal] いくら [Slow] いくら(ikura) |
| John: Next is the word meaning "is." |
| Risa: [Normal] です [Slow] です(desu) |
| John: Last is the question particle. |
| Risa: [Normal] か [Slow] か(ka) |
| John: Note the rising intonation. Listen again to the formal question meaning "How much does this cost?" |
| Risa: [Slow] これはいくらですか。 [Normal] これはいくらですか。 |
| John: Now, imagine you’re pointing at an item. Here's an informal way to ask, "How much does this cost?" |
| Risa: [Normal] これ、いくら？(Kore, ikura ?) |
| John: First is a word meaning "this." |
| Risa: [Normal] これ [Slow] これ (kore) |
| John: Next is the word meaning "how much." |
| Risa: [Normal] いくら [Slow] いくら(ikura) |
| John: Note the pause after "kore" and the rising intonation at the end. Listen again to the informal question meaning "How much does this cost?" |
| Risa: [Slow] これ、いくら？ [Normal] これ、いくら？ |
| John: Here's a response meaning "Okay, I'll take it." |
| Risa: [Normal] じゃあ、これをください。(Jā, kore o kudasai.) |
| John: First is a word meaning "well,” “then." |
| Risa: [Normal] じゃあ [Slow] じゃあ (jā) |
| John: Next is the word meaning "this." |
| Risa: [Normal] これ [Slow] これ (kore) |
| John: Next is the object particle. |
| Risa: [Normal] を [Slow] を(o) |
| John: Last is the word meaning "please give me." |
| Risa: [Normal] ください [Slow] ください(kudasai) |
| John: Listen again to the response, "Okay, I'll take it." |
| Risa: [Slow] じゃあ、これをください。 [Normal] じゃあ、これをください。 |
| John: Here's a response meaning, "No, thanks. It's too expensive." or literally “No, thanks. It’s a bit expensive.” |
| Risa: [Normal] すみません、ちょっと高いです。(Sumimasen, chotto takai desu.) |
| John: First is a word literally meaning "sorry." |
| Risa: [Normal] すみません [Slow] すみません(sumimasen) |
| John: Next is the word meaning "a bit." |
| Risa: [Normal] ちょっと [Slow] ちょっと (chotto) |
| John: Next is the word meaning "expensive." |
| Risa: [Normal] 高い [Slow] 高い(takai) |
| John: Last is the word meaning "is." |
| Risa: [Normal] です [Slow] です (desu) |
| John: Note the pause after the word meaning “sorry,” and that Japanese people tend to say “a bit expensive” even if it is “too” expensive. It's a way to deliver negative feedback. Listen again to the response, "No, thanks. It's too expensive." |
| Risa: [Slow] すみません、ちょっと高いです。 [Normal] すみません、ちょっと高いです。 |
| Cultural Insight |
| John: Now, it's time for a quick cultural insight. |
| Risa: In Japan, there are many household goods stores called "100-yen shops" where you can buy everything for one coin before tax. You don't even need to ask “How much?” (Kore wa ikura desu ka.) there, right? |
Outro |
|---|
| John: And that's all for this lesson. Don't forget to check out the lesson notes, and we'll see you in the next lesson! |
| Risa: またね！(mata ne!) |
Comments
Hide