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How to Say ‘Would it take quite a while?’ in Japanese

けっこう時間がかかりますか。

kekkou jikan ga kakari masu ka

[KEK-koh jee-kahn ga kah-kah-ree mahs kah]

Phrase Breakdown

けっこう

kekkou

[KEK-koh]

quite; fairly

Adverb meaning a considerable amount.

Example

けっこう遠いです。

It's quite far.

時間がかかりますか。

jikan ga kakari masu ka

Does it take time?

'時間がかかる' means 'to take time'. The polite question form ends with 'ますか', said with rising intonation.

Example

準備に時間がかかりますか。

Does the preparation take time?

Words in this phrase

時間

jikan

[jee-kahn]

time

Refers to time or someone's availability; often used politely in business contexts.

Example

少しお時間をいただきたいです。

I would like to ask for a little of your time.

が

[ga]

subject marker

A particle marking the subject of the sentence.

Example

興味がある分野を教えてください。

Please tell me the field you are interested in.

かかり

kakari

[kah-kah-ree]

take; require

Verb stem meaning to take time or cost money.

Example

駅までどのくらいかかりますか。

How long does it take to the station?

ます

masu

[mahs]

polite verb ending

A standard polite ending added to verbs, often used in customer service and formal speech.

Example

予約を確認します。

I will confirm the reservation.

か

[kah]

question marker

Placed at the end of a sentence to make it a question.

Example

A席はありますか。

Are there A seats available?

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