How to Say ‘About a five-minute walk’ in Japanese
歩いて五分くらい
arui te go pun kurai
[ah-roo-ee teh goh foon koo-rai]
💬 Usage Tip: Add [くらい] to make it approximate: [歩いて五分くらい].
🇯🇵 In Japan: Approximate answers are normal; don’t worry if it takes you 7 minutes—no one expects stopwatch accuracy.
Phrase Breakdown
歩いて
arui te
on foot
Indicates the method of travel before stating the time.
駅まで歩いて行きます。
I’ll go to the station on foot.
Words in this phrase
歩い
arui
[ah-roo-ee]
walk (te-form stem)
Part of 歩いて; indicates “on foot” as the means of travel.
ここから歩いて五分くらいです。
It’s about a five-minute walk from here.
て
te
[teh]
te-form ending
Completes the te-form 歩いて (“by walking”).
駅まで歩いて五分くらいです。
It’s about a five-minute walk to the station.
五分
go pun
five minutes
Duration. Combined with くらい to soften/estimate.
五分待ってください。
Please wait five minutes.
Words in this phrase
五
go
[goh]
five
Number 5 used in the time expression 五分.
歩いて五分くらいかかります。
It takes about a five-minute walk.
分
pun
[foon]
minutes
Minute counter; together 五分 = 5 minutes (ごふん).
歩いて五分くらいです。
It’s about a five-minute walk.
くらい
kurai
[koo-rai]
about / approximately
Softens the exact number: “about.” Very natural when giving directions since times are approximate.
歩いて五分くらいですよ。
It’s about a five-minute walk.
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