How to Say ‘About five minutes.’ in Japanese
五分ぐらいですね。
go pun gurai desu ne
[goh foon goo-rah-ee dess neh]
💬 Usage Tip: ぐらい after a number means "about". It works for times, prices or amounts, as in 千円ぐらい "about 1,000 yen". 五分 is said (go-fun), not (go-pun).
🇯🇵 In Japan: Locals usually give distance as walking time rather than in meters. When you ask how far something is, expect an answer like this one in minutes.
Phrase Breakdown
五
go
[goh]
five
五 means five and is used in numbers, dates, and counting.
五つあります。
There are five.
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-rah-ee]
about; approximately
Makes the amount approximate rather than exact.
いくらぐらいですか、と丁寧に聞きます。
You politely ask, “About how much is it?”
です
desu
[dess]
is; polite copula
Polite form of 'to be' used in many basic sentences.
こちらで大丈夫です。
This is fine.
ね
ne
[neh]
isn't it; right
ね is a sentence-ending particle used to seek agreement or add friendliness.
きれいですね。
It's pretty, isn't it?
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