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How to Say ‘It takes (time/money)’ in Japanese

かかります

kakari masu

[kah-kah-ree mahss]

💬 Usage Tip: [かかります] is used for time or cost: [時間がかかります] (takes time), [お金がかかります] (costs money).

🇯🇵 In Japan: When asking directions, pairing it with [どのくらい] is a natural, polite way to ask the walking time.

Phrase Breakdown

かかり

kakari

[kah-kah-ree]

(time/money) takes / costs (stem)

Stem of かかります (to take time / to cost). Used before ます. Common for asking time to the nearest station.

Example

ここから駅までどのくらいかかりますか。

How long does it take from here to the station?

ます

masu

[mahss]

polite verb ending (present/future)

Polite ending attached to the verb stem. Makes the phrase polite for speaking to strangers when asking directions.

Example

駅まで十分かかります。

It takes 10 minutes to the station.

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