Ask how much something costs (いくら / おいくら)
いくら is the interrogative used to ask for the price or monetary cost of an item. Adding the honorific prefix お (おいくらですか) adds boutique politeness.
Asking Price: How Much? (いくら)
kore wa ikura desu ka
How much is this?
Standard Inquiry (いくら) vs Boutique Courtesy (おいくら)
Micro-Shiftこれはいくらですか。
How much is this?
Everyday polite price inquiry suitable for any casual store or cafe.
Example Sentences
How much is this?
What is the price?
The Value Scale Mental Model
In daily Japanese life, いくら (how much) is your primary financial tool.
While いくら can occasionally mean “an amount” in abstract idioms, in 99% of conversational contexts it is strictly dedicated to prices and monetary values.
The Essential Shopping Formulas
1. Pointing and Inquiring: - これはいくらですか: “How much is this?” - あれはいくらですか: “How much is that over there?” 2. Asking for the Total: - 全部でいくらですか: “How much is everything altogether?” 3. Adding Boutique Elegance (おいくら): - Adding the honorific prefix お softens the directness of asking about money: - これはおいくらですか: “May I ask how much this is?”
Crucial Distinction: いくら vs いくつ
Do not confuse price with quantity! • いくら — Price / Cost: - リンゴはいくらですか: “How much do the apples cost?” • いくつ — Quantity / Count: - リンゴはいくつありますか: “How many apples are there?” - いくつ欲しいですか: “How many would you like?”
Real-Life Shopping Dialogue
- Customer: すみません、この時計はおいくらですか: “Excuse me, how much is this watch?”
- Clerk: こちらは五千円でございます: “This one is 5,000 yen.”
- Customer: じゃ、これをお願いします: “Well then, I'll take this one, please.”
In Dialogue
Maruすみません、この扇子はいくらですか。
Excuse me, how much is this folding fan?
Hana千五百円です。とても人気がありますよ。
It is 1,500 yen. It's very popular!
Quick Check
Select the correct question word to ask the shopkeeper: ‘How much is that souvenir over there?’