How to Say ‘It's about ten minutes.’ in Japanese
十分ぐらいです。
juu pun gurai desu
[JOO poon goo-RAI dess]
💬 Usage Tip: 十分 means "ten minutes" when read (juppun), but the same characters read (jūbun) mean "enough". Context and pronunciation tell them apart.
Phrase Breakdown
十
juu
[JOO]
ten
The number 10; used for counting items or minutes in the kitchen.
玉ねぎを十個切ってください。
Please cut ten onions.
分
pun
[poon]
minute(s)
Counter for minutes; read ぷん after 十.
五分待ってください。
Please wait five minutes.
ぐらい
gurai
[goo-RAI]
about; approximately
Placed after a number or amount to show it is an estimate; a variant of くらい.
十分ぐらい待ちました。
I waited about ten minutes.
です
desu
[dess]
is; polite copula
A polite sentence ending used in formal conversation.
少し伺いたいです。
I would like to ask a little.
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