namake.

Lesson 11: How much is it?

Ask what an object costs and give a price in yen, including irregular hundreds and thousands.

Ask prices and build amounts

You know これ and この + noun from lesson 04 and the polite question ending ですか. Point to a notebook and say このノートはいくらですか once. That is your small first action.

1. Ask the price

いくら means ‘how much money?’. Put it in the information position before ですか: このノートはいくらですか. この cannot stand alone; it must come directly before ノート. If you only say ‘this one’, use これはいくらですか.

Break the question down as: このノート ‘this notebook’ + は ‘this is the topic’ + いくら ‘what price’ + ですか ‘polite question’. The form asks about money, not ownership or location. A concrete incorrect pattern is このはいくらですか: the noun after この is missing.

このノートはいくらですか。

これはいくらですか。

2. Answer with amount + 円

A price answer follows amount + 円 + です. Read 円 as えん. The amount and 円 form one block: 300円です. Do not put a particle between 円 and です, and do not add いくら to the answer.

In a full sentence, the object can return as the topic: このノートは300円です. In conversation, 300円です is enough because the question already names the object. In a written price, 円 follows the number directly.

このノートは三百円です。

八百円です。

3. Build hundreds without missing the irregular forms

The regular forms put a number before ひゃく: にひゃく, よんひゃく, ごひゃく, and ななひゃく. Three forms change sound: 300 is さんびゃく, 600 is ろっぴゃく, and 800 is はっぴゃく. Learn those three as complete blocks.

For 4300, first build よんせん ‘four thousand’, then さんびゃく ‘three hundred’. 円 comes after the complete number: よんせんさんびゃくえん. A form such as さんひゃく is understandable, but it is not the correct pronunciation of 300.

三百円

六百円

八百円

四千三百円

4. Thousands and the 万 block

1000 is usually せん, without いち before it. Two thousand forms change sound: 3000 is さんぜん and 8000 is はっせん. Other common combinations are にせん, よんせん, and ごせん. Then add hundreds if needed: 2600 is にせんろっぴゃく.

At 10,000, a new block begins: 万, read まん. Unlike 1000, 10,000 does include いち: いちまん. Thus 12,000 is いちまんにせん. This step is an extension; the final check only asks for amounts up to 4800.

二千六百円

三千二百円

一万二千円

5. Use the question and answer in a shop

Begin politely with すみません, ask the price, and give a short price answer in the other role. ありがとうございます is a natural response after hearing the price. The price sentence only states what something costs; it is not an order.

Then practise with a new object and amount. Keep three checks separate: この takes a noun, the amount takes 円, and only the question ends in ですか. The lesson 11 listening exercises use this exact price function.

すみません。この辞書はいくらですか。

四千円です。

All lessons