UNIT 4
Shopping & Convenience Stores
Shopping & Convenience Stores
Lesson 2: Asking the Price
いくらですか — How Much Is It?
⏱️ About 25 minutes ／ 📊 Level: Beginner (N5) ／ 🗣️ Speaking + Reading
Before You Start
Knowing how to ask “How much is this?” is one of the most useful skills for daily life in Japan. Whether you’re at a convenience store, a market, or a shop, this one question will take you far. In this lesson, you’ll learn price questions and how to react naturally when you hear the answer.
What you’ll learn:
- Ask “How much is it?” — いくらですか
- Ask “How much is this?” — これはいくらですか
- Understand price answers — 〇〇円です
- React to prices — 安いですね / 高いですね
- Ask about the total — 全部でいくらですか
- Ask if something is on sale — セールですか
1. Key Phrases ／ きほんのフレーズ
いくらですか。
Ikura desu ka.
How much is it?
これはいくらですか。
Kore wa ikura desu ka.
How much is this?
それはいくらですか。
Sore wa ikura desu ka.
How much is that?
あれはいくらですか。
Are wa ikura desu ka.
How much is that over there?
〇〇円です。
〇〇 en desu.
It is 〇〇 yen.
全部でいくらですか。
Zenbu de ikura desu ka.
How much is it in total?
安いですね。
Yasui desu ne.
It is cheap.
高いですね。
Takai desu ne.
It is expensive.
セールですか。
Seeru desu ka.
Is it on sale?
2. Phrase Notes ／ ポイント
① これ / それ / あれ — this, that, that over there
Japanese has three words for pointing at things, depending on distance.
これ → this (near me) → これはいくらですか。
それ → that (near you) → それはいくらですか。
あれ → that over there → あれはいくらですか。
② いくらですか vs これは何円ですか
Both mean “How much is this?” In everyday shopping, これはいくらですか is more natural and common. 何円ですか (“How many yen?”) is also correct but slightly more formal.
③ 安いですね / 高いですね — reacting to prices
Adding ね at the end invites agreement — like saying “isn’t it?” This makes your reaction sound natural and friendly.
A: 100円です。
B: 安いですね！ That’s cheap!
A: 5,000円です。
B: 少し高いですね。 A little expensive.
④ 全部でいくらですか — asking the total
Use this when you have multiple items and want to know the total before paying. 全部 means “all” and で indicates the scope, so literally “for all of it, how much?”
⚠️ Common Mistake
Don’t confuse 安い (cheap = good price) and 高い (expensive OR tall/high). In a shopping context 高い always means expensive, but note that the same word is used to describe height too — context makes the difference.
Don’t confuse 安い (cheap = good price) and 高い (expensive OR tall/high). In a shopping context 高い always means expensive, but note that the same word is used to describe height too — context makes the difference.
3. Conversation Practice ／ かいわ
💬 Conversation 1 — Asking the Price
💬 Conversation 2 — This and That
💬 Conversation 3 — It’s Cheap!
💬 Conversation 4 — A Little Expensive
💬 Conversation 5 — Total Price
4. Vocabulary ／ たんご
| Japanese | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
| いくら | ikura | how much |
| 円 | en | yen |
| 値段 | nedan | price |
| これ | kore | this |
| それ | sore | that |
| あれ | are | that over there |
| 安い | yasui | cheap |
| 高い | takai | expensive |
| セール | seeru | sale |
| 割引 | waribiki | discount |
| 全部 | zenbu | all / total |
| 合計 | gookee | total |
| お会計 | okaikee | bill / payment |
5. Check Your Understanding ／ クイズ
Think about each question first. The answer and explanation are shown below each one.
Q1. How do you say “How much is it?” in Japanese?
A. いくらですか。 B. 何時ですか。 C. 何曜日ですか。
Answer: A
いくらですか means “How much is it?” 何時ですか means “What time is it?” and 何曜日ですか means “What day of the week is it?”
いくらですか means “How much is it?” 何時ですか means “What time is it?” and 何曜日ですか means “What day of the week is it?”
Q2. How do you say “How much is this?” in Japanese?
A. これはいくらですか。 B. これは何時ですか。 C. これはどこですか。
Answer: A
これはいくらですか — これ means “this” and いくら means “how much.” This is the most useful price question for beginners.
これはいくらですか — これ means “this” and いくら means “how much.” This is the most useful price question for beginners.
Q3. What does 「500円です。」 mean?
A. It is 500 yen. B. It is 500 people. C. It is 500 years old.
Answer: A
〇〇円です means “It is 〇〇 yen.” 円 is the Japanese currency unit (yen).
〇〇円です means “It is 〇〇 yen.” 円 is the Japanese currency unit (yen).
Q4. What does 「安いですね。」 mean?
A. It is cheap. B. It is expensive. C. It is far.
Answer: A
安い means cheap. 高い means expensive. Adding ね makes it sound natural and conversational — like saying “That’s cheap, isn’t it!”
安い means cheap. 高い means expensive. Adding ね makes it sound natural and conversational — like saying “That’s cheap, isn’t it!”
Q5. What does 「全部でいくらですか。」 mean?
A. What time is it? B. How much is it in total? C. Where is everything?
Answer: B
全部で means “in total” and いくら means “how much.” Use this when you want to know the total price for multiple items.
全部で means “in total” and いくら means “how much.” Use this when you want to know the total price for multiple items.
6. Match the Meaning ／ れんしゅう
Match each phrase with its English meaning. Check your answers below.
いくらですか。 → ______
これはいくらですか。 → ______
それはいくらですか。 → ______
〇〇円です。 → ______
安いですね。 → ______
高いですね。 → ______
全部でいくらですか。 → ______
Choices: A. It is 〇〇 yen. B. It is expensive. C. How much is this? D. How much is it in total? E. How much is that? F. It is cheap. G. How much is it?
Answers: いくらですか = G ／ これはいくらですか = C ／ それはいくらですか = E ／ 〇〇円です = A ／ 安いですね = F ／ 高いですね = B ／ 全部でいくらですか = D
🚀 Mini Mission
Today’s mission: Practice asking prices in Japanese.
Try these phrases at a shop, or practice with your teacher:
これはいくらですか。／ それはいくらですか。／ 全部でいくらですか。
📘 Review ／ まとめ
In this lesson, you learned how to ask prices in Japanese. The most important set is:
これはいくらですか。(How much is this?)
〇〇円です。(It is 〇〇 yen.)
全部でいくらですか。(How much in total?)
〇〇円です。(It is 〇〇 yen.)
全部でいくらですか。(How much in total?)
💡 Use これ when the item is near you, それ when it’s near the other person, and あれ for something far away.
FAQ
Q. What is the difference between これ, それ, and あれ?
これ is for things near you (the speaker). それ is for things near the other person. あれ is for things far from both of you. In a shop, pointing while saying これはいくらですか is almost always enough.
Q. Do Japanese shops always show prices? Can I trust the price tags?
Yes — all prices in Japan include tax and are clearly labeled. You rarely need to negotiate. The price on the tag is the price you pay. If you’re unsure, これはいくらですか will always get you a clear answer.
Q. Is 高い only used for “expensive,” or does it mean something else?
高い means both “expensive” and “tall/high.” In a shopping context it always means expensive. When talking about a building or a person’s height, it means tall or high. Context makes the meaning clear.
🌿 Practice with a real teacher
Want to Practice with a Teacher?
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