About: ごろ・ぐらい
Time + ごろ／Duration, amount + ぐらい
ごろ = around (a point in time: 七時ごろ). ぐらい／くらい = about (a duration, an amount: 十分ぐらい).
In short
ごろ gives an approximate point in time (“around seven”): 七時ごろ. ぐらい (or くらい) gives an approximate duration or amount (“about an hour”): 一時間ぐらい.
- 七時ごろ おきます。shichi-ji goro okimasuI get up around seven.
- 一時間ぐらい べんきょうします。ichi-jikan gurai benkyō shimasuI study for about an hour.
- えきまで 十分ぐらいです。eki made juppun gurai desuIt's about ten minutes to the station.
The basics
ごろ and ぐらい (or くらい) both mean “about”, but not for the same thing. ごろ is for a point in time (around 7 o'clock), ぐらい for a duration or an amount (about two hours, roughly 500 yen).
| Word | Applies to | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ごろ | a point in time | 七時ごろ (around 7) |
| ぐらい／くらい | a duration, an amount, a price | 二時間ぐらい (about 2 hours) |
ごろ: around a certain time
ごろ attaches to the time. With a specific time, you can keep に after it: 七時ごろ（に）おきます.
- 十一時ごろ ねます。jūichi-ji goro nemasuI go to bed around eleven.
- 五月ごろ 日本へ 行きます。gogatsu goro nihon e ikimasuI'll go to Japan around May.
ぐらい: about this much
ぐらい goes after a duration, a number or a price. くらい and ぐらい are interchangeable.
- 駅まで 十分ぐらい かかります。eki made juppun gurai kakarimasuIt takes about ten minutes to the station.
- がくせいが 三十人ぐらい います。gakusei ga sanjū-nin gurai imasuThere are about thirty students.
Common mistakes
- Saying 二時間ごろ: for a duration, it's ぐらい.
- Saying 七時ぐらいに おきます: you hear it often, but for a point in time, the form expected in the exam is 七時ごろ.
- Mixing up 二時 (two o'clock) and 二時間 (two hours, the duration): ごろ goes with the first, ぐらい with the second.
5 exercises on this point
Particles to choose, sentences to put back in order, translations: marked straight away, then reviewed at the right time. This JLPT N5 point is on the Namboku Line (Time) of the Tokyo subway.