…ikura desu ka. Chopsticks New York

2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010

Dec

...ikura desu ka.

Oct

...o misete kudasai.

Sep

...o kudasai.

…ikura desu ka.

Japanese Lesson #3

All over the world, you have to ask the price of something before you can buy it and things aren’t any different in Japan. But fear not, all you have to do is memorize these three simple words: Ikura desu ka. This is a question, so the structure of the phrase is somewhat different from the two basic phrases you’ve already learned, “~ o kudasai” and “~ o misete kudasai.” To ask a question in Japanese, simply put “ka” at the end of the sentence and make sure you deliver the sentence in an upward intonation. Easy! In this phrase, “ikura” literally means “how much,” and “desu” is the auxiliary verb.

However, the phrase “Ikura desu ka” is grammatically incomplete because the subject is missing. As I mentioned before, people often omit the subject and object in Japanese conversation when it’s obvious what they’re talking about. So, if you’re holding the product that you’re asking about, “Ikura desu ka” makes perfect sense. But if not, you need to add the subject to the sentence. Then, the super convenient words “kore,” “sore,” and “are” come in handy. Check out these sentences:

Kore wa ikura desu ka. (How much is this?)
Sore wa ikura desu ka. (How much is it?)
Are wa ikura desu ka. (How much is that?)

Now you’re ready to ask the price of any product on any occasion! For those who are wondering what “wa” means, it’s simply a subject-marking particle.

And the answer to your question is going to be, “(number) + (currency) desu.” For example, if the price is 500 yen, you will hear “500 yen desu.” In the case of “2 dollars,” “2 doru (dollars) desu.”

If you’re happy with the price and you want to buy what you’re holding, just say, “Kore (Sore, Are) o kudasai” and now you’re the proud owner of…something!

Illustration by Ai Tatebayashi

Japanese Culture in New York - Chopsticks NY

…ikura desu ka.