How do you say "how long is the wait?" in Japanese?

Name: The Ramen Line Wraps the Block. Ten Minutes or an Hour? Ask This.
Uploaded: 2026-07-16T13:13:47Z
Duration: 37 s
Description: Learn to say どのくらい待ちますか？ (dono kurai machimasu ka?) — how long is the wait?. A 30-second Japanese lesson for travelers from Kōfuku.

← All videos

The Ramen Line Wraps the Block. Ten Minutes or an Hour? Ask This.

To say how long is the wait? in Japanese, say どのくらい待ちますか？ (dono kurai machimasu ka?).

The ramen line wraps around the block. Is it a ten-minute wait or an hour?

どのくらい待ちますか？ dono kurai machimasu ka? how long is the wait?

Beginner phrase-drill #learnjapanese #japantravel #japanesefood #ramen #japanesephrases

Watch on Facebook ↗

In this video

どのくらい待ちますか？ dono kurai machimasu ka? How long is the wait?
すみません、どのくらい待ちますか？ sumimasen, dono kurai machimasu ka? Excuse me, how long is the wait?
何分くらいですか？ nanpun kurai desu ka? About how many minutes?

Why this phrase

Popular ramen and cafe lines give no clue how long they are. Teach 「どのくらい待ちますか？」 to ask the wait time, plus the concrete follow-up 「何分くらいですか？」 so you can decide before you commit an afternoon.