How do I ask for the price of an item in Japanese
To ask for the price of an item in Japanese, the simplest phrase is これ、いくらですか？ (Kore, ikura desu ka?), which means “How much is this?” It is polite, natural, and widely understood in shops, markets, and other buying situations.
The most common ways to ask
1) Point to the item and say: これ、いくらですか？
これ means “this,” and いくら means “how much.”
This is the most direct and practical phrase when the item is physically in front of the speaker.
- これ、いくらですか？
Kore, ikura desu ka?
“How much is this?”
A small pause after これ makes the sentence sound natural, especially when pointing at a product.
2) Name the item: この[Item]は、いくらですか？
If the item name is known, Japanese often uses この + noun + は to ask about that specific item.
- この[Item]は、いくらですか？
Kono [item] wa ikura desu ka?
“How much is this [item]?”
For example:
- この本は、いくらですか？
Kono hon wa ikura desu ka?
“How much is this book?”
The particle は is written wa in this sentence because it marks the topic of the question.
3) Use the more polite form: おいくらですか？
おいくらですか？ is a softer, more polite way to ask the price. It is especially useful in formal settings, upscale shops, or when speaking very respectfully.
- おいくらですか？
O-ikura desu ka?
“How much is it?”
This version is short, elegant, and often sounds more customer-friendly than the simpler いくらですか？ alone.
Useful full phrases in real shops
A complete shopping question often begins with a polite opener:
-
すみません、これ、いくらですか？
Sumimasen, kore, ikura desu ka?
“Excuse me, how much is this?” -
すみません、このかばんは、いくらですか？
Sumimasen, kono kaban wa, ikura desu ka?
“Excuse me, how much is this bag?”
すみません is one of the most useful words in Japanese service situations. It can mean “excuse me,” “sorry,” or “pardon me,” depending on context, and it helps make the question sound polite immediately.
How the answer is usually given
The most common answer pattern is:
- [Price] です。
[Price] desu.
“[It is] [price].”
For example:
-
にひゃくえんです。
Nihyaku en desu.
“It’s 200 yen.” -
せんごひゃくえんです。
Sen gohyaku en desu.
“It’s 1,500 yen.”
In stores, the price is usually stated clearly and directly, often with えん (en, yen) after the number. Japanese numbers can sound intimidating at first, but common amounts like 100円, 500円, 1000円, and 1500円 are heard constantly in everyday shopping.
Pronunciation tips
A few pronunciation details make these phrases easier to understand:
- これ sounds like koh-reh, not kor-ee.
- いくら is pronounced ee-koo-rah.
- ですか is often said with a rising intonation at the end to make it clearly a question.
- おいくら begins with a respectful o- prefix, which is common in polite Japanese.
The sentence この[Item]は、いくらですか？ is especially useful because it lets the speaker ask about almost anything after learning the noun for the item.
Common mistakes
A frequent mistake is using only いくら？ in situations where politeness matters. While it may be heard in very casual speech, it is safer for learners to use いくらですか？ in stores.
Another common issue is forgetting that は in この[Item]は is pronounced wa, not ha. This is a basic but important feature of Japanese writing and reading.
It is also easy to confuse これ and この:
- これ = “this” as a standalone word
- この = “this” before a noun
So これ、いくらですか？ and この本は、いくらですか？ are both correct, but they are used differently.
Quick reference
- これ、いくらですか？ — How much is this?
- この[Item]は、いくらですか？ — How much is this [item]?
- おいくらですか？ — How much is it? / How much would it be?
- すみません、これ、いくらですか？ — Excuse me, how much is this?
- [Price]です。 — It’s [price].
In everyday conversation
These phrases are among the first shopping expressions worth learning because they are short, reusable, and immediately practical. In spoken Japanese, clear pronunciation and polite timing matter more than complicated grammar, and repeated conversation practice helps these forms become automatic in real stores and markets.