How to Say “How Much Is This?” in Japanese

“How much is this?” in Japanese is これはいくらですか (kore wa ikura desu ka). Indicate one exact item and ask the seller. Listen for the number before 円 (en, “yen”); you may hear the amount alone or followed by です.

For example, 千二百円ですせん にひゃく えん です (sen nihyaku en desu) means “It is 1,200 yen.” Confirm the amount you think you heard with 千二百円ですねせん にひゃく えん ですね, or say すみません。もう一度お願いしますすみません。もういちど おねがいします if you missed it. Then compare the confirmed amount with your budget. Asking the price does not commit you to buying the item.

This page’s Play controls use your browser or device voice, not a human-reviewed recording. Voice availability and pronunciation vary. Use the written exchange to learn the decision loop; use reliable Japanese audio or a real conversation to check what you hear and say.

Leo does not change his limit after hearing the answer. He asks, confirms 1,200 yen, closes his wallet, and leaves without the cup; the seller returns it to the display. The question gave Leo usable information, not an obligation to buy. Checkout and payment remain for the next lesson.

Ask the price of one item

Build the question around one item. これ means “this,” は marks it as the topic, いくら asks the amount, and ですか completes a polite question. The は is written ha but pronounced wa here. You do not need to add a separate verb meaning “cost.”

In conversation, you may also hear これ、いくらですか (kore, ikura desu ka), with は left unspoken. The full これはいくらですか is a useful first pattern to practice.

Use これ for an item near you and それ for an item near the listener. If several objects are close together, point to one exact item or name it:

For the full distance system, including あれ and the noun forms この・その・あの, use the kore, sore, and are lesson. For this exchange, identifying one item is enough.

Listen for the number before yen

The seller may answer with the amount alone or add です. In both cases, find the number immediately before 円:

The 1,200-yen amount on this page is only a practice example. Check the actual price of that item with the seller or current label. The next shopping lesson covers checkout totals and payment.

Hear the price sounds that change

Hundreds do not all sound like a number plus hyaku. These four price forms are worth recognizing:

You do not need a complete number course before asking. Practice hearing 円 and one whole amount together; a partial guess is not a confirmed price.

Repeat the amount or ask again

If you think you heard 1,200 yen, echo it with ですね. This gives the seller a chance to confirm or correct the amount. If you did not hear a clear amount, ask for one repetition instead:

If the seller gives a different amount instead of はい, listen to the correction and echo the new amount once. Do not make a purchase decision from the first guess.

The previous please speak slowly lesson explains how to choose between slower speech, a repeat, and naming the unclear part. Here, one repeat and one price echo are enough.

Check the item and amount before deciding

Keep three facts connected:

1. Which exact item did you indicate?
2. What amount did the seller confirm?
3. What limit or condition did you choose before hearing the answer?

In Leo’s scene, the item is one indigo-and-cream cup, the confirmed amount is 1,200 yen, and the prior limit is 1,000 yen. The amount is not called “high” or “low”; it simply does not meet Leo’s condition. He closes his wallet and leaves without the cup.

Buying the item and leaving it are both valid results of a price question. Check the current item price with the seller or label, then choose for yourself whether it fits your budget.

Practice one ask–answer–decision exchange

Set up one short practice with an object and a limit:

Leave with one confirmed price

• これはいくらですか asks the price of an item near you.
• Indicate one exact item; use それ or a noun when これ could be unclear.
• Listen for the whole amount before 円, whether or not the answer ends with です.
• Echo the amount with ですね, or request one repeat if you did not hear a clear amount.
• Compare the confirmed amount with a condition chosen before the answer. Asking does not require a purchase.

Leo leaves without the cup, but the exchange succeeds: he replaces a guess with a confirmed price and protects a choice he made beforehand. Continue with 20 Japanese shopping phrases to move from one price decision to item questions, checkout, and payment when you do choose to buy.