1.
to take time; to be time-consuming
Indicates that something requires a significant or notable amount of time to complete or happen.
この作業は時間がかかる。
This task takes time.
駅まで歩くと時間がかかるので、バスに乗ろう。
Walking to the station takes a while, so let's take the bus.
慣れるまでに少し時間がかかるかもしれませんが、心配しないでください。
It may take a little time to get used to it, but please don't worry.
One of the most common expressions for saying something "takes time" in Japanese. The verb かかる here means "to require" or "to cost" (time, money, effort).
COMMON PATTERNS:
- 時間がかかる — it takes time
- 時間がかからない — it doesn't take long
- どのくらい時間がかかりますか — how long does it take?
- 〜に時間がかかる — it takes time for ~
- 思ったより時間がかかった — it took longer than expected
SPECIFIC DURATIONS:
- 30分かかる — it takes 30 minutes
- 2時間かかる — it takes 2 hours
- 半日かかる — it takes half a day
SIMILAR EXPRESSIONS:
- 手間がかかる — to require effort/trouble (focuses on labor rather than time)
- 時間を要する — to require time (formal/written)
- 時間を費やす — to spend time on (emphasizes the spending of time)
USAGE:
Note the particle が (not を) before かかる. This is because かかる is an intransitive verb — time "falls upon" the activity, rather than someone spending it.