particle N5 essential casualpolitewritten
〜ぐらい — about / to the extent of ~
〜ぐらい ・ ぐらい
Meaning
- about / approximately ~ (a rough amount) / to the extent of ~ (a vivid degree)
Key sentence
駅まで十分ぐらいかかる。
It takes about ten minutes to the station.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun (quantity) / plain verb / i-adjective | N + ぐらい; V(plain) + ぐらい | 三千円ぐらい / 泣きたいぐらい |
Variants
くらい — ぐらい (voiced) and くらい are the same word; ぐらい is a touch more colloquial, especially after a number. Either is fine.
Examples
百人ぐらい集まった。
About a hundred people gathered.
自分の名前ぐらい漢字で書けます。
I can at least write my own name in kanji.
顔を忘れるぐらい長い間会っていない。
We haven't met for so long I've nearly forgotten his face.
Easily confused with
Notes
- ぐらい can add a dismissive 'just / at least' nuance: それぐらい自分でやって ('do at least that much yourself').
See 〜ぐらい in real sentences
Jengo shows 〜ぐらい the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar.