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How to Say ‘Would 330,000 yen be difficult?’ in Japanese

三十三万円は難しいでしょうか。

sanjuu san man en wa muzukashii deshou ka

[sahn-JOO sahn mahn en wah moo-zoo-kah-SHEE deh-SHOH kah]

🇯🇵 In Japan: Asking whether a figure would be difficult lets the employer decline without losing face. It's far more natural in Japan than stating "I want 330,000."

Phrase Breakdown

三十三万円は

sanjuu san man en wa

330,000 yen

三十三万円 (sanjū-san-man-en) = 330,000 yen. は (wa) marks the topic.

Example

三十三万円は高いです。

330,000 yen is expensive.

Words in this phrase

三十

sanjuu

[sahn-JOO]

thirty

The number 30, literally three tens.

Example

三十円のおつりです。

Here is 30 yen change.

三

san

[sahn]

three

The number three; read さん.

Example

りんごが三つあります。

There are three apples.

万

man

[mahn]

ten thousand

Japanese unit for 10,000.

Example

三十万円です。

It's 300,000 yen.

円

[en]

yen

The Japanese currency unit.

Example

チケットは八千円です。

The ticket is 8,000 yen.

は

[wah]

topic marker; as for

Marks 'today' as the topic. Written は but pronounced 'wa.'

Example

本日はお時間をいただき、ありがとうございます。

Thank you for giving me your time today.

難しいでしょうか。

muzukashii deshou ka

would it be difficult?

難しい (muzukashii) means 'difficult'. でしょうか is a soft, polite question, often used in negotiation.

Example

明日は難しいでしょうか。

Would tomorrow be difficult?

Words in this phrase

難しい

muzukashii

[moo-zoo-kah-SHEE]

difficult

Hard; also a polite way to say something is not possible.

Example

それは難しいです。

That is difficult.

でしょう

deshou

[deh-SHOH]

is it (polite question form)

Polite form of desu; with ka it softly asks for confirmation.

Example

七時でよろしいでしょうか。

Would seven o'clock be all right?

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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