What does どれ mean in this sentence?


What does どれ mean in this sentence?

神戸にはもうどれくらいいらっしゃいますか。- How long have you been in Kobe?

Basically, どれ means "which", but what meaning does it have in that sentence?




Practically, it may be better to remember どれくらい＝how much, how long.

くらい means _(approximate) amount_ , so どれくらい means _which amount_ , or _what
amount of time_ = _how long_ in the particular context. It can be used for
asking other kinds of amount.

  * どれくらいの費用がかかりましたか how much did it cost?
  * どれくらい歩きましたか how long did you walk? (this is ambiguous between time and distance)




Practically, it may be better to remember どれくらい＝how much, how long.

くらい means _(approximate) amount_ , so どれくらい means _which amount_ , or _what
amount of time_ = _how long_ in the particular context. It can be used for
asking other kinds of amount.

  * どれくらいの費用がかかりましたか how much did it cost?
  * どれくらい歩きましたか how long did you walk? (this is ambiguous between time and distance)

