How can I say in Japanese that I (have) studied Japanese for 3 years?
Grammar pattern with duration information
When adding a durational information,
Duration + verbal expression
is usually used.
So for example,
日本語を３年勉強しました。
nihongo wo san nen benkyoo shi mashita.
I (have) studied Japanese for 3 years.
Durational expression
In Japanese, instead of adding a preposition like “for” in English, a durational expression is typically made by combining time word and
間: kan: for
But there are something to watch out:
- 間: kan: for is optional EXCEPT hour and week
- One day is usually said without 間
And here’s the lists of durational expressions in Japanese:
Hour:
昨日、8時間寝ました。
kinoo hachi jikan ne mashita.
I slept for 8 hours yesterday.
Day:
今月、３日（間）働きました。
kongetsu, mi kka (kan) hataraki mashita.
Week:
山の中で３週間スキーをしました。
Yama no naka de san syuukan sukii wo shi mashita.
I skied at a mountain for 3 weeks.
Month:
日本に４か月（間）います。
Nihon ni yon kagetsu (kan) i masu.
I have been in Japan for 4 months.
Year:
フランスで３年（間）料理を勉強しました。
Huransu de san nen(kan) ryoori wo benkyoo shi mashita.
I learnt how to cook for 3 years in France.
How to make questions with duration expressions?
When making questions, you can either
- Replace the number part with 何:nan: what
- Use どのくらい: donokurai: How long
So, for example,
A:
日本語を何年（間）（どのくらい）勉強しましたか。
nihongo wo nan nen (kan) (donokurai) benkyoo shi mashita ka.
How many years (How long) have you studied Japanese approximately?
B:
３年（間）ぐらい勉強しました。
san nen (kan) gurai benkyoo shi mashita.
I’ve studied for around 3 years.
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