幾(いく)ら

いくら
pronoun
how much (price)
1. how much (price)
Used to ask about the price or cost of something.
これは幾(いく)らですか。
How much is this?
Very common shopping phrase
全部(ぜんぶ)で幾(いく)らになりますか。
How much does it come to in total?
この本(ほん)は幾(いく)らでしたか。
How much was this book?
電車(でんしゃ)の切符(きっぷ)は幾(いく)らですか。
How much is the train ticket?
一(ひと)つ幾(いく)らですか。三(みっ)つください。
How much is each one? I'll take three, please.
この時計(とけい)は幾(いく)らしましたか。高(たか)そうですね。
How much did this watch cost? It looks expensive.
2. no matter how much
In the pattern いくら〜ても, means 'no matter how much.'
幾(いく)ら食(た)べても太(ふと)らない。
No matter how much I eat, I don't gain weight.
いくら〜ても pattern
幾(いく)ら待(ま)っても来(き)ませんでした。
No matter how long I waited, they didn't come.
幾(いく)ら話(はな)しても分(わ)かりません。
No matter how much I talk, they don't understand.
幾(いく)ら考(かんが)えても、いい考(かんが)えが思(おも)いつきません。
No matter how much I think, I can't come up with a good idea.
幾(いく)ら呼(よ)んでも、来(き)てくれませんでした。
No matter how much I called, they didn't come.

幾(いく)ら is one of the most essential question words for daily life in Japan.

KEY PATTERNS:

  • これは幾(いく)らですか: How much is this? (basic shopping phrase)
  • 全部(ぜんぶ)で幾(いく)ら: How much in total?
  • 幾(いく)ら〜ても: no matter how much (concessive pattern)

WRITING:
Usually written in hiragana (いくら) rather than kanji (幾(いく)ら). The kanji 幾(いく) is relatively uncommon in everyday use.

SIMILAR WORDS:

  • いくつ: how many (for countable items or age)
  • どのくらい: how much/how long (for degree or extent)

NOTE:
Do not confuse with イクラ (salmon roe), which is a loanword from Russian.

Related Words

Contrast: 幾(いく)つ (how many (countable))
basic
Added 2026.1.7 21:22 · Revised 2026.4.1 8:52
00500/00943_ikura