いくつ/いくら
How Many/how Much
いくつ = How many / How old
いくら = How much (price/amount) / No matter how much
How It Works
In Japanese, the way you ask about quantity depends on whether you are counting items or asking for a monetary value or amount.
Kanji Note: While usually written in hiragana, you may encounter the kanji forms 幾つ（いくつ） and 幾ら（いくら） in intermediate materials.
1. いくつ - How Many
This is the question word for the native Japanese counting system (〜つ).
- General Counting: Used for objects that typically use the native counters (ひとつ、ふたつ, etc.). It is generally used for small objects, not people or animals. Importantly, it is also the default counter for abstract concepts (e.g., 質問, 理由, 夢, アイデア). Note on Numbers above 10: The native counting system only goes up to 10（とお）. For quantities beyond 10, you switch to Sino-Japanese numbers. While you can use specific counters like 個（こ）, you can also use bare numbers, especially for abstract concepts (e.g., 質問が15あります). For people, animals, or specific shapes, Japanese relies on 何 + the specific counter (e.g., 何人（なんにん）, 何枚（なんまい）, 何本（なんぼん）).
- Age: It is a common way to ask 'How old?'. In polite situations, use おいくつ. The standard, neutral way to ask age is 何歳（なんさい）.
2. いくら - How Much
This is used for money, amounts, and quantities.
- Price: The standard way to ask 'How much does this cost?' (いくらですか).
- Amount/Quantity: While いくら can sometimes be used for quantity, native speakers overwhelmingly prefer どのくらい for physical amounts and measurements (like salt or water). いくら is more commonly used for price, or in abstract, rhetorical, and hypothetical contexts.
3. いくら 〜ても - No Matter How Much
A common usage of いくら is pairing it with the て-form of verbs or adjectives + も to express 'no matter how much'.
- Verb Example: いくら食べても（いくらたべても） = No matter how much I eat.
- Adjective Example: いくら高くても買います（いくらたかくてもかいます） = No matter how expensive it is, I will buy it.
4. Particles and Quantity Expressions
Adding particles to these question words changes their meaning significantly:
- いくつか: Some / A few
- いくらか: Some amount / A little bit (of money/volume)
- いくつも: Many / A large number of. Used to emphasize that there is a surprisingly large amount of countable items.
- いくらでも: Any amount / As much as you like. Used to express that an uncountable amount or limit is endless.
Examples (6)
- りんごをいくつ買いましたか。
How many apples did you buy?
Word by Word: Apples (object) how many bought (question)?
Uses いくつ because apples are discrete objects typically counted with the 〜つ system.
- この靴はいくらですか。
How much are these shoes?
Word by Word: These shoes (topic) how much is (question)?
Uses いくら to ask for the price of the item, which is its most common use.
- 失礼ですが、おいくつですか。
Excuse me, but how old are you?
Word by Word: Rude although, (polite) how many is (question)?
おいくつ is the polite way to ask someone's age, derived from いくつ.
- いくら考えてもわかりません。
No matter how much I think about it, I don't understand.
Word by Word: How much think even, understand not.
Here, いくら is used with the て-form and も to mean "no matter how much" in an abstract sense. For physical quantities like salt or water, どのくらい is preferred instead.
- 質問がいくつもあります。
I have many questions.
Word by Word: Questions (subject) many exist.
Adding も to いくつ creates the meaning of "many" or "a large number of" for countable items.
- 時間はいくらでもあります。
We have as much time as we need.
Word by Word: Time (topic) any amount exists.
Adding でも to いくら means "any amount" or "as much as you like" for uncountable concepts.
Common Mistakes
Using いくら to count physical objects.
ペンはいくらありますか。ペンはいくつありますか。Learners often translate 'How much' literally from English. In Japanese, if you can count the items (like pens), you must use いくつ.
Asking an adult's age too bluntly.
いくつですか。おいくつですか。While いくつですか is grammatically correct, adding the polite 'o' (おいくつ) is much more natural and respectful when speaking to adults or strangers.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To use 'いくつ' (how many) and 'いくら' (how much), you need to understand how to form basic questions using the topic marker 'は', the copula 'です', and the question particle 'か'.
- かQuestion Marker
いくつ and いくら are interrogative words used in questions, which typically require the question marker 'か' at the end of the sentence.
Level 1 - ですCopula (Polite)
These question words are most commonly used with the polite copula 'です' in basic sentences (e.g., 'いくらですか').
Level 1 - はTopic Marker
The topic marker 'は' is used to identify what is being counted or priced (e.g., 'これはいくらですか').
Level 1
Related Patterns
- つGeneral Counter
いくつ is the question form for the native Japanese counter system (ひとつ、ふたつ、etc.).
Level 1 - 何What
何（なん） is used to form specific questions like 何個（なんこ） or 何歳（なんさい）. When a specific counter is known, 何 + counter is usually preferred over いくつ.
Level 1 - くらい/ぐらいAbout/approximately
どのくらい is often used instead of いくら to ask about duration, distance, or general amount.
Level 2 - もAlso/too
Adding も (いくらも、いくつも) emphasizes a large quantity ('many' or 'any amount').
Level 1 - たとえ〜てもEven if
いくら is frequently paired with the 〜ても pattern to mean 'no matter how much/many'.
Level 3
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice いくつ/いくら in Bubblegum
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