The lesson

5.6 Talking about money

AI-generated

Overview

Learn how to talk about prices and money in Japanese, including asking how much something costs, expressing yen amounts, and using common shopping phrases.

Asking about price

The most basic way to ask about price uses いくら.

How much is this?
How much is it in total?

To be more polite (e.g. in shops):

How much would this be?

Saying the price

Prices are usually stated with です or になります.

/ literally means to become.

Japanese currency uses 円 (えん).

Talking about having or not having money

You can use ある / ない to say whether you have money or not.

I do not have money.

You can also use 持っている:

Useful vocabulary

  • enough / not enough money
That watch is expensive.

Common verbs related to money:

Common shop phrases

Points to keep in mind

  • いくら asks about price
  • 円 is used for yen amounts

Dialogue

Today I went shopping at a department store. I found a sweater and asked the shop assistant, "How much is this?" They said, "That will be 5,000 yen." I thought it was a little expensive, but I really liked the design. I confirmed, "How much will it be in total?" When I checked my wallet, I did not have enough money. I asked, "Can I pay by card?" They said, "Yes, card is fine too." I paid 5,000 yen by card. I received the receipt and left the store.

Grammar

TitleDescription
いくら
いくら is used to ask about prices.

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