How to ask "how much is it" in Chinese

多少钱 combines 多少 (duōshao, 'how much') and 钱 (qián, 'money'). Literally 'how much money'. It's a fixed question phrase — you don't need to add a verb like 'is' because the question is implied.

Use 多少钱 when you want to know the price of an item or service. It's casual and polite enough for any shop or market. You can point at an item and say this. For a more formal version, add 请问 (qǐngwèn) at the start: 请问多少钱? (qǐngwèn duōshao qián?) — 'excuse me, how much is it?'. Don't use it for 'how much time' — that's 多长时间 (duō cháng shíjiān).