Asking 'How long does it take?' in Japanese: Duration with どのくらい and かかります
Learn to ask how long something takes in Japanese using どのくらい, どのぐらい, and かかります, with minutes, hours, days, and polite past forms.
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To ask how long something takes in Japanese, combine a time question word with the verb かかります (kakarimasu), which means 'to take' when talking about time or money. The most useful question word is どのくらい (dono kurai), meaning 'how long' or 'about how much.' You will also need basic duration expressions such as 十分 (juppun, ten minutes), 一時間 (ichijikan, one hour), and 三日 (mikka, three days). This lesson teaches the question pattern, the answer pattern, and the difference between asking about a general length of time and asking about a specific clock time.
By the end, you can…
- ask how long a trip, task, or wait takes using どのくらいかかりますか。
- answer with durations such as 十分, 一時間, and 三日.
- use the polite past form かかりました to say how long something took.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
どのくらいかかりますか。
How long does it take?
dono kurai kakarimasu ka.
General polite question for duration. Use it for travel, tasks, or waiting time.
十分かかります。
It takes ten minutes.
juppun kakarimasu.
Answer with a number plus a counter. 十分 is pronounced juppun, not juupun.
一時間かかりました。
It took one hour.
ichijikan kakarimashita.
Past polite form. Use it after the action or trip is finished.
駅までどのくらいかかりますか。
How long does it take to the station?
eki made dono kurai kakarimasu ka.
Add まで (made, 'as far as') to name the destination.
三日かかります。
It takes three days.
mikka kakarimasu.
Use 三日 (mikka) for a duration of three days, not for a date.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The core pattern is [duration] + かかります。 For example, 十分かかります (juppun kakarimasu) means 'It takes ten minutes,' and 二時間かかります (nijikan kakarimasu) means 'It takes two hours.' To ask a question, put どのくらい before the verb: どのくらいかかりますか。 (dono kurai kakarimasu ka). If you want to mention the destination, use [place] + まで: 空港までどのくらいかかりますか。 (kuukou made dono kurai kakarimasu ka), 'How long does it take to the airport?'
When to use it
Use どのくらいかかりますか when you want a length of time, not a clock time. If you ask 何時ですか (nanji desu ka), you are asking 'What time is it?' or 'What time does it start?' If you ask どのくらいかかりますか, you are asking 'How long does it take?' For a finished trip, change the verb to the past: 三十分かかりました (sanjuppun kakarimashita), 'It took thirty minutes.' For a rough answer, you can add ぐらい: 一時間ぐらいかかります (ichijikan gurai kakarimasu), 'It takes about one hour.'
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
すみません、駅までどのくらいかかりますか。
Excuse me, how long does it take to the station?sumimasen, eki made dono kurai kakarimasu ka.歩いて十分ぐらいかかります。
It takes about ten minutes on foot.aruite juppun gurai kakarimasu.バスではどうですか。
How about by bus?basu de wa dou desu ka.バスだと五分かかります。
By bus, it takes five minutes.basu da to gofun kakarimasu.A little context goes a long way
In polite Japanese, どのくらいかかりますか is safe with strangers, staff, and acquaintances. With close friends, people often shorten it to どのくらいかかる？ (dono kurai kakaru?). When giving an answer, Japanese speakers often add ぐらい or くらい to show the time is approximate, which can sound more natural than a bare number.
One thing to watch for
Using 何時 (nanji) to ask how long something takes, as in 何時かかりますか。
Try this instead: 何時 asks for a clock time, such as 何時ですか (nanji desu ka), 'What time is it?' For duration, use どのくらい: どのくらいかかりますか。 (dono kurai kakarimasu ka), 'How long does it take?'
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1Ask politely how long it takes to the airport.
Show a sample answer
空港までどのくらいかかりますか。
This uses [place] + まで + どのくらい + かかりますか. You can also say 空港までどのぐらいかかりますか; ぐらい and くらい are both acceptable.
2Say 'It took two hours.' in polite Japanese.
Show a sample answer
二時間かかりました。
Use the past polite form かかりました with the duration 二時間 (nijikan). A valid alternative is 二時間ぐらいかかりました if the time was approximate.
3What is the difference between 何時ですか and どのくらいかかりますか。
Show a sample answer
何時ですか asks for a clock time, while どのくらいかかりますか asks for a length of time.
何時ですか means 'What time is it?' or 'What time does it start?' どのくらいかかりますか means 'How long does it take?' The two questions are not interchangeable.
Use どのくらいかかりますか to ask how long something takes, and answer with a duration plus かかります or かかりました.
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