Ikura desu ka is the Japanese expression for ‘how much’, explained

How to say “how much” in Japanese

Japanese native speakers would say “ikura desu ka”. It is the Japanese expression for ‘how much’. In this blog post, I will explain it in detail based on its components. And also, I will explain some related expressions. Let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “ikura desu ka”
• Components of “ikura desu ka”
• Example: how to ask the price in Japanese
• “How much is this” in Japanese
• More polite expression to ask the price in Japanese
• Kanji expression
• Summary

Definition and meaning of “ikura desu ka”

First of all, let me start with a definition and meaning of “ikura desu ka”.

• ikura desu ka – いくらですか : a Japanese expression for “how much”.

Its definition and meaning are very, very simple and clear. To understand it a bit more, however, let me explain its components in detail.

Components of “ikura desu ka”

Below are the ones.

• ikura – いくら : a noun used to express an indefinite number. It is quite often used to mean ‘how much’ in Japanese. Depending on the situation, we can say just “ikura” to mean ‘how much’. It can sound a bit rude, though.
• desu – です : an auxiliary verb put after a noun or adjective to make it polite. Probably, this auxiliary verb is well known for a part of Japanese desu form. Here, it is put after the noun, “ikura”, to make it sound polite.
• ka – か : a sentence ending particle put at the end of sentence to make a question. Here, it is put at the end of the sentence to change it to a question.

From these three components, we can understand that “ikura desu ka” is a Japanese polite expression for “how much”. So, it can fit with various situations including formal ones. When we want to ask the price of things politely in Japanese, this expression would be very helpful.

Example: how to ask the price in Japanese

Below is an example conversation between two Japanese, Haru and Aki.

Below are new words used in the example conversation.

• sen – 千 (せん) : a numeral meaning ‘thousand’. Depending on other words used together, it can also be used as the plural noun meaning ‘thousands’. Learn more about Japanese plural.
• en – 円 (えん) : a unit of Japanese currency, yen. When it isn’t used together with a numeral, it would mean ‘circle’.

This example shows how Japanese people use “ikura desu ka” and also how they answer it. When we want to say “how much” in Japanese, it would be the best choice.

This is how Japanese people ask “how much” in Japanese. Depending on the situation and context, however, the example expression can be a bit ambiguous. Sometimes, we need to indicate what price we ask clearly. In the next paragraphs, I will explain how to use this expression with a demonstrative pronoun.

“How much is this” in Japanese

Below is an example conversation showing how to use “ikura desu ka” together with a demonstrative pronoun.

Below are new words used in the example conversation.

• kore – これ : a demonstrative pronoun meaning ‘this’ in Japanese. In the example, actually, it is used to mean ‘this’.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case maker or topic maker. In the example, it is put after the demonstrative pronoun, “kore”, to make the subject word in the sentence.
• ni – 二 (に) : a numeral meaning ‘two’ in Japanese. “Two thousands” and its Japanese translation, “ni sen”, have completely the same structure. “Ni” and “sen” mean ‘two’ and ‘thousands” respectively.

In this example, “kore wa” is used to indicate what price Haru asks. This example exactly shows the Japanese expression for ‘how much is this?’

The auxiliary verb, “desu”, makes the whole sentence sound polite. So, basically, the example expression sound polite. Nevertheless, sometimes, we need to use more polite expressions to ask the price of things. One of the most commonly used expressions can be easily made by using the prefix, “o”.

More polite expression to ask the price in Japanese

Below is a new word.

• o – お : a prefix widely used to make the following word more polite. In the example, it is put just before the noun, “ikura”, to make it sound polite. Learn more about “o” through the word, “omotenashi”.

The translation remains the same as the previous one. Honestly, I haven’t succeeded in translating the Japanese polite expression into English. Yet, this Japanese expression is definitely more polite than previous ones. When we need to ask the price of things politely in Japanese, this polite expression would be very helpful.

Kanji expression

So far, I’ve explained the Japanese expression for ‘how much’ only in hiragana. Here, let me explain its kanji mixed expression.

• ikura desu ka – 幾らですか (いくらですか) : a kanji expression for “いくらですか”.

As you may know, there are a lot of homonyms in the Japanese language. The noun, “ikura”, is one of them. When it is written in hiragana, it can also mean ‘salmon roe’. It would be very surprising, but unfortunately, it’s true. Therefore, the kanji expression is very helpful to avoid confusion between these two homonyms. In reality, however, it’s rarely used. Situations in which they are used are very different. So, usually, people can understand a meaning of “ikura” easily and correctly without using the kanji expression.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the expression, “ikura desu ka”, in detail based on its components. And also, I’ve explained its related expressions. Let me summarize them as follows.

• ikura desu ka – いくらですか : a Japanese expression for “how much?”
• kore wa ikura desu ka – これはいくらですか : a Japanese expression for “how much is this?” Sometimes, we need to indicate clearly what price we ask. A demonstrative pronoun helps us a lot in this regard.
• ikura desu ka – 幾らですか (いくらですか) : a kanji expression for “いくらですか”. It would be helpful to avoid misunderstanding between two homonyms. Yet, it’s rarely used. Usually, situations in which the two homonyms are used are very different.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.