How to Say ‘It’s about five minutes on foot.’ in Japanese
歩いて5分ぐらいです。
arui te 5 pun gurai desu
[arui te go fun gurai des]
💬 Usage Tip: [歩いて] means “by walking / on foot,” and [ぐらい] means “about / approximately.” This phrase is great for asking or confirming how far the metro is.
🇯🇵 In Japan: Japanese directions often use time instead of distance. So instead of kilometers, you’ll often hear [歩いて5分ぐらいです]—simple and super practical!
Phrase Breakdown
歩いて
arui te
Words in this phrase
歩い
arui
[arui]
walk
From the verb 歩く, meaning to walk. 歩いて means walking / by ფეხ? no, by foot when used in directions.
駅まで歩いて5分ぐらいです。
It is about 5 minutes on foot to the station.
て
te
[te]
and / by doing
The て-form ending attached to verbs. Here it completes 歩いて, meaning walking / on foot.
歩いて行きます。
I will go on foot.
5分
5 pun
Words in this phrase
5
5
[go]
five
The number 5. Here it is part of the time expression 5分, meaning five minutes.
ここから5分ぐらいです。
It is about 5 minutes from here.
分
pun
[fun]
minutes
A counter for minutes. In 5分, it is pronounced ふん, making the full reading ごふん.
歩いて5分です。
It is 5 minutes on foot.
ぐらい
gurai
[gurai]
about / approximately
Used to show an approximate amount or time, like 'about' or 'around.'
駅まで5分ぐらいです。
It is about 5 minutes to the station.
です
desu
[des]
is / it is
A polite sentence ending used to state information. Common in giving directions.
あそこが駅です。
That is the station over there.
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