How to Say ‘It’s about five minutes on foot.’ in Japanese
歩いて五分ぐらいです。
arui te go pun gurai desu
[ah-roo-ee teh goh foon goo-rye dess]
💬 Usage Tip: Perfect model sentence: [歩いて] + time + [ぐらい] + [です].
🇯🇵 In Japan: Commonly used for nearby stations/exits. People may also add a landmark: “after the traffic light.”
Phrase Breakdown
歩いて
arui te
on foot; walking (and…)
Te-form of 歩く (to walk). In directions, 歩いて + time means “(go) on foot for ~”.
歩いて行きます。
I’ll go on foot.
Words in this phrase
歩い
arui
[ah-roo-ee]
walk (stem)
Part of “歩いて〜,” indicating the estimate is for walking, not by train/bus.
地下鉄の駅は歩いて五分ぐらいです。
The subway station is about five minutes on foot.
て
te
[teh]
-te form connector
Makes “歩いて” into “by walking / on foot,” commonly used when giving directions.
歩いて五分ぐらいです。
It’s about five minutes on foot.
五分
go pun
five minutes
Time expression: number + 分 (minutes). 五分 = 5 minutes.
五分待ってください。
Please wait five minutes.
Words in this phrase
五
go
[goh]
five
Used with 分 to say “five minutes.” Good for short distances to a station.
歩いて五分ぐらいです。
It’s about five minutes on foot.
分
pun
[foon]
minutes (counter)
Minute counter in time estimates for directions (e.g., “五分,” “十分”).
歩いて五分ぐらいです。
It’s about five minutes on foot.
ぐらい
gurai
[goo-rye]
about; around
Adds “about/approximately” to the time: “five minutes or so.”
歩いて五分ぐらいです。
It’s about five minutes on foot.
です
desu
[dess]
(is/am/are); polite copula
Ends the sentence politely when giving an estimate to someone asking directions.
歩いて五分ぐらいです。
It’s about five minutes on foot.
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