Costs and paying
Collocations, Stage 3chunk 1 of 23Time, money & plans
Money at the till and the table: what it costs overall, one item's price, pricey, paying, and splitting the bill.
- okane ga kakarucost money
- ikura suruhow much it costs (price + suru)
- nedan ga takaithe price is high
- okane o haraupay (money)
- warikan ni surusplit the bill
Mix-ups No single verb for 'cost': okane ga kakaru is the overall cost (kekkou kakatta), ikura suru is an item's price (ikura shita?), nedan ga takai says the price is high. okane o harau is you handing it over, and warikan ni suru is splitting evenly, not wakeru.
okane ga kakaru
polite okane ga kakarimasucost money
お金がかかる おかねがかかる お金がかかります
verbkakaru かかるbe hung on or applied; of time or money: be needed, be used uptypical 4% of okane
trap There is no one Japanese verb for 'cost'. A thing's price is suru (ikura shita?). What something costs you overall is kakaru, the same verb as time: shuuri ni ichiman en kakatta.
For what a trip, a hobby, a repair or daily life costs overall, often with an amount: ichiman en gurai kakatta. For the price of a thing you bought, use ikura suru.
kuruma tte kekkou okane kakaru yo
Having a car costs quite a bit.
車ってけっこうお金かかるよ
kuruma wa kekkou okane ga kakarimasu yo
Having a car costs quite a bit.
車はけっこうお金がかかりますよ
okane o tsukau = spend (your choice); okane ga kakaru = something costs.
Same verb: hiyou (expenses), denkidai (electricity bill), koutsuuhi (travel fares)Learn alongside: ikura suru, nedan ga takai, okane o harau, okane o tsukauMain list: kakaru (Stage 4), tsukau (Stage 3), takai (Stage 3)
ikura suru
polite ikura shimasuhow much it costs (price + suru)
いくらする いくらします
verbsuru するdo, make; after a price or amount: cost, be priced attypical 5% of ikura
trap The main list teaches kakaru as 'cost', but that is for overall spending. A single thing's price takes suru: kore ikura shita? / ichiman en shita. ikura datta? also works.
The shape is price + suru: ichiman en suru = it costs 10,000 yen. In the past about something bought: sore ikura shita? or ikura datta? (both common). In the present for what a thing goes for: are tte ikura suru no?, ikura suru n darou, or sanman en mo suru n da (it's a whole 30,000 yen). In a shop, the plain kore ikura desu ka is the usual question.
kore, ikura shita?
How much did this cost?
これ、いくらした？
kore, ikura shimashita ka?
How much did this cost?
これ、いくらしましたか？
kekkou suru ne = that's pricey.
Same verb: ichiman en (10,000 yen), sen en (1,000 yen)Learn alongside: okane ga kakaru, nedan ga takai, okane o harau, okane o tsukauMain list: ikura (Stage 1), suru (Stage 1), kakaru (Stage 4), takai (Stage 3), yasui (Stage 3)
nedan ga takai
polite nedan ga takai desuthe price is high
値段が高い ねだんがたかい 値段が高いです
adjectivetakai 高いhigh; expensivetypical 11% of nedan
trap A low price isn't hikui in speech: cheap is yasui (nedan ga yasui). hikui turns up only in written kakaku ga hikui.
Said when comparing shops or weighing up a buy: koko, nedan chotto takai ne. Day to day people just say takai! about a thing; nedan comes in when the price itself is the point, often with mo: oishii kedo nedan mo takai.
koko, oishii kedo nedan chotto takai ne.
This place is good, but it's a bit pricey.
ここ、おいしいけど値段ちょっと高いね。
koko wa oishii kedo, nedan ga chotto takai desu ne.
This place is good, but it's a bit pricey.
ここはおいしいけど、値段がちょっと高いですね。
nedan no wari ni = for the price: nedan no wari ni oishii. kakaku is the written word on signs and sites.
Same adjective: ryoukin (a fee, a fare), yachin (rent), bukka (cost of living)Learn alongside: okane ga kakaru, ikura suru, okane o harau, okane o tsukauMain list: takai (Stage 3), yasui (Stage 3), ikura (Stage 1), chotto (Stage 1)
okane o harau
polite okane o haraimasupay (money)
お金を払う おかねをはらう お金を払います
verbharau 払うpay; also brush or sweep off (dust, snow)typical 7% of okane
trap Paying back money you borrowed is kaesu (give back), not harau: ashita kaesu ne. When a friend covered your share, ato de harau ne works too.
For whether someone has paid, usually in the past: okane haratta? / mou haratta yo. When the amount, bill or method is said, okane drops: sen en haratta, kaado de harau.
okane, mou haratta?
Have you paid already?
お金、もう払った？
okane, mou haraimashita?
Have you paid already?
お金、もう払いました？
Offering to pay is dasu (koko wa watashi ga dasu yo), and treating someone is ogoru. At the register staff ask oshiharai wa dou nasaimasu ka? (how will you pay?).
Same verb: yachin (rent), ryoukin (fee, charge), denkidai (electricity bill)Learn alongside: okane ga kakaru, ikura suru, nedan ga takai, okane o tsukauMain list: dasu (Stage 4), tsukau (Stage 3), kakaru (Stage 4)
warikan ni suru
polite warikan ni shimasusplit the bill
割り勘にする わりかんにする 割り勘にします
verbsuru するdo; X ni suru = make it X, go with X
trap English 'split' leads to wakeru, which is fine with staff for separate bills (kaikei wakete moraemasu ka?). Splitting the total evenly is one noun, warikan: warikan ni shiyou. Each paying their own is betsubetsu.
Said when the bill comes: warikan ni shiyou, warikan de ii?, or just warikan shiyou. People often follow with each person's share: hitori sen en ne. Between two people, hanbunko also works.
jaa, warikan ni shiyou
OK, let's split it.
じゃあ、割り勘にしよう
jaa, warikan ni shimashou
OK, let's split it.
じゃあ、割り勘にしましょう
Paying for someone is ogoru (kyou wa ogoru yo = it's on me); being treated is gochisou ni naru.
Same verb: betsubetsu (separately), hanbun (half)Main list: -ni suru (Stage 3)