How do you say "How long does it take?" in Japanese?

"How long does it take?" in Japanese is "どのくらいかかりますか。". This phrase is commonly used in Japan.

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How to Say ‘How long does it take?’ in Japanese

Q: What does "どのくらいかかりますか。" mean in English?

"どのくらいかかりますか。" means "How long does it take?" in English. Usage tip: Japanese uses [かかる] for time taken, so this question is literally closer to "about how much time takes?" You can reuse the pattern with cost too: [いくらかかりますか].

どのくらいかかりますか。

dono kurai kakari masu ka

[doh-noh koo-rah-ee kah-kah-ree mahs kah]

💬 Usage Tip: Japanese uses [かかる] for time taken, so this question is literally closer to "about how much time takes?" You can reuse the pattern with cost too: [いくらかかりますか].

Phrase Breakdown

どのくらい

dono kurai

how long; about how much

Used to ask for an approximate amount of time or quantity.

Example

どのくらい待ちますか。

How long will you wait?

Words in this phrase

どの

dono

[doh-noh]

how; what amount

Starts a question asking about duration or extent.

Example

空港までどのくらいかかりますか。

How long does it take to the airport?

くらい

kurai

[koo-rah-ee]

about; approximately; extent

Together with どの, it forms 'how long/how much'.

Example

ホテルまでどのくらいかかりますか。

How long does it take to the hotel?

かかりますか

kakari masu ka

does it take; will it take

Polite question form of かかる, meaning to take time or money.

Example

東京まで一時間かかります。

It takes one hour to Tokyo.

Words in this phrase

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

Makes the verb polite for customer service situations.

Example

どのくらいかかりますかと聞きます。

I ask, 'How long does it take?'

か

[kah]

question marker

Makes the sentence a polite question.

Example

どのくらいかかりますかと確認します。

I confirm by asking, 'How long does it take?'

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