Question
of the Week
Vol.
26
Q. What is the difference between "goro" and "gurai"?
A. Both "goro （ごろ）" and "gurai （ぐらい）" are used to express approximation. However, "goro" is only used for a specific point in time to mean "approximately."
| Sanji goro uchi ni kaerimasu. 三時ごろうちに帰ります。 |
I will come home around three o'clock. |
| Rainen no sangatsu goro nihon ni ikimasu. 来年の三月ごろ日本に行きます。 |
I am going to Japan around March next year. |
"Gurai （ぐらい）" is used for an approximate time period or quantity.
| Ichi-jikan gurai machimashita. 一時間ぐらい待ちました。 |
I waited for about an hour. |
| Eki made go-fun gurai desu. 駅まで五分ぐらいです。 |
It takes about five minutes to get to the station. |
| Kono kutsu wa nisen en gurai deshita. この靴は二千円ぐらいでした。 |
These shoes were about 2,000 yen. |
| Hon ga gojussatsu gurai arimasu. 本が五十冊ぐらいあります。 |
There are about 50 books. |
| Ano ko wa go-sai gurai deshou. あの子は五歳ぐらいでしょう。 |
That child is probably about five years old. |
"Gurai （ぐらい）" can be replaced with "hodo （ほど）" or "yaku （約）," though "yaku" comes before the quantity unlike others.
| Sanjuupun hodo hirune o shimashita. 三十分ほど昼寝をしました。 |
I had a nap for about 30 minutes. |
| Yaku gosen-nin no kanshuu desu. 約五千人の観衆です。 |
There are about 5,000 in the audience. |
