How to Say ‘About five minutes on foot.’ in Japanese
歩いて五分ぐらいです。
arui te go pun gurai desu
[ah-wee teh goh foon goo-rye dess]
💬 Usage Tip: Full polite sentence ending with [です]. Great for giving/receiving directions. You might also hear [歩いて五分くらいです]—same meaning.
🇯🇵 In Japan: People often combine this with a landmark: [あの角から歩いて五分ぐらいです] “From that corner, about 5 minutes.”
Phrase Breakdown
歩いて
arui te
on foot / walking
Introduces the means (walking). Natural pause: 歩いて｜五分ぐらいです.
歩いて行けます。
You can go on foot.
Words in this phrase
歩い
arui
[ah-wee]
walk (te-form stem)
Part of 歩いて. Used to express time needed when walking.
ここから歩い て五分ぐらいです。
It’s about a 5-minute walk from here.
て
te
[teh]
te-form ending
Completes 歩いて (“by walking”). Often followed by a time like 五分.
歩い て行けます。
You can go on foot.
五分ぐらい
go pun gurai
about five minutes
Time estimate. Pronounce 五分 as gofun; ぐらい = about.
五分ぐらい待ちます。
I’ll wait about five minutes.
Words in this phrase
五
go
[goh]
five
Number 5. With 分: 五分 (5 minutes).
歩いて五 分ぐらいです。
It’s about five minutes on foot.
分
pun
[foon]
minutes
Minutes counter; 五分 is ごふん. Used to describe how long it takes.
五分 ぐらいで着きます。
You’ll arrive in about five minutes.
ぐらい
gurai
[goo-rye]
about; around
Means “about/approximately.” Softens the estimate, which is natural when giving directions.
駅まで十分ぐらい です。
It’s about 10 minutes to the station.
です
desu
[dess]
is/are (polite)
Polite copula used to finish a statement. In directions, ～です makes your answer polite and complete.
歩いて五分ぐらいです。
It’s about a 5-minute walk.
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