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Which of these is a more appropriate/polite way of asking how much something
costs without specifying the object? (I'm working at a very low level, so
please be straightforward - no kanji, please explain with as much as English
as possible! xD)

いくら

**OR**

いかばかり

Or something else?

Additionally, why is it that the か is dropped when asking these questions? Do
the phrases mean the same WITH か ?

Thanks!
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2016-04-21T07:29:50.927
33692
2016-04-21T09:24:38.303
14211
question
politeness phrases
Asking 'how much'?
If you are using it during conversation and the other person can identify
which object you are referring, you can use:

> いくらですか。

If you want to make it more respectful or more formal, you can ask:

> おいくらですか。

If you are talking on phone, or there are so many things you can talk about,
it will be confusing for that person what exactly you re asking about. In that
case, you can use:

> この`<object>`はいくらですか。

..............................................................

Out of the very basic greetings:

  * O-genki desuka : お元気{げんき}ですか
  * O-kage sama de genki desu : おかげさまで元気{げんき}です
  * O-yasumi nasai : おやすみなさい
  * O-namae wa nan desuka : お名前{なまえ}は何ですか
  * O-tanjyoubi omedetou gozaimasu : お誕生日{たんじょうび}おめでとうございます。

All these greetings are used to greet another person, and thus the respect
word, O is added in all these sentences.
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2016-04-21T08:02:51.177
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2016-04-21T09:24:38.303
2016-04-21T09:24:38.303
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answer