How to Say ‘It's about five minutes’ in Japanese
五分ぐらいです
go pun gurai desu
[goh foon goo-rye deh-soo]
💬 Usage Tip: 五分 is said (go-fun), not (go-pun). Put ぐらい after any amount to make it "about": 十分ぐらい (juppun gurai) "about ten minutes".
Phrase Breakdown
五
go
[goh]
five
Kanji for the number 5. In time expressions like 五分 (5 minutes).
駅まで五分くらいです。
It’s about five minutes to the station.
分
pun
[foon]
minute(s)
Used after numbers to count minutes.
十五分かかります。
It takes fifteen minutes.
ぐらい
gurai
[goo-rye]
about; around; approximately
Used after quantities to give an approximate amount. In directions: 歩いて五分ぐらい = “about a 5-minute walk.”
ここから駅まで十分ぐらい です。
It’s about 10 minutes from here to the station.
です
desu
[deh-soo]
is; polite copula
です makes a sentence polite and neutral. With a place + は + noun, it states/asks what something is or where it is.
ここは地下鉄の駅です。
This is the subway station.
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