How to Say ‘About five minutes on foot’ in Japanese
歩いて5分ぐらい
arui te 5 pun gurai
[ah-roo-ee teh go foon goo-rah-ee]
💬 Usage Tip: [ぐらい] means 'about' or 'approximately.' It makes the time sound softer and more natural, like 'around five minutes.' Very common when people give directions casually.
🇯🇵 In Japan: When Japanese speakers give directions, they often use approximate expressions like [ぐらい] to avoid sounding too exact. It is friendly and natural, not vague in a bad way.
Phrase Breakdown
歩い
arui
[ah-roo-ee]
walk
Stem form of 歩く, used before て to express walking.
駅まで歩いて5分ぐらいです。
It is about a 5-minute walk to the station.
て
te
[teh]
and / by doing
The て-form ending; with 歩い it becomes 歩いて, meaning by walking.
ここから歩いて5分ぐらいです。
From here, it is about a 5-minute walk.
5
5
[go]
five
The number 5, read ご here in the time expression 5分.
駅は歩いて5分ぐらいです。
The station is about a 5-minute walk away.
分
pun
[foon]
minutes
Counter for minutes; 5分 is read ごふん.
駅まで歩いて5分ぐらいかかります。
It takes about 5 minutes on foot to the station.
ぐらい
gurai
[goo-rah-ee]
about / around
Shows approximation, like about or around, often for time or distance.
ここから駅まで歩いて5分ぐらいです。
From here, it is about a 5-minute walk to the station.
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