「ぐらい/くらい」- Emphasizing Degree

Explanation

〜ぐらい/くらい is a common Japanese grammatical structure used to indicate an approximate degree, quantity, or a minimum standard. It can be pronounced as either 「ぐらい」 or 「くらい」, and the two are interchangeable.

Grammar Pattern

Grammar Point	Connection	Explanation
〜ぐらい/くらい	Noun/Verb Plain Form/い-Adjective Plain Form/な-Adjective Stem + くらい/ぐらい	Indicates an approximate quantity
〜ぐらい/くらい	Noun/Verb Plain Form/い-Adjective Plain Form/な-Adjective Stem + くらい/ぐらい	Indicates degree
〜ぐらい/くらい	Noun/Verb Plain Form/い-Adjective Plain Form/な-Adjective Stem + くらい/ぐらい	Indicates a minimum standard

Basic Usage

• Indicating Approximate Quantity

  • 食費しょくひは毎月まいつき３万円さんまんえんくらいかかる。
  • Shokuhi wa maitsuki sanman-en kurai kakaru.
  • Food expenses cost about 30,000 yen per month.
    
  • 彼女かのじょは子こどもが５人にんくらいいる。
  • Kanojo wa kodomo ga go-nin kurai iru.
  • She has about five children.
    

• Indicating Degree

  • 喉のどが痛いたくなるぐらい笑わらった。
  • Nodo ga itaku naru gurai waratta.
  • I laughed so much that my throat hurt.
    
  • このプリンぷりん、一生いっしょう買かい続つづけたいくらい好すき。
  • Kono purin, isshou kai tsuzuketai kurai suki.
  • I like this pudding so much that I want to keep buying it for the rest of my life.
    

• Indicating Minimum Standard

  • 自分じぶんの荷物にもつくらい自分じぶんで持もて。
  • Jibun no nimotsu kurai jibun de mote.
  • At least carry your own luggage.
    
  • 悩なやみがあるなら、話はなしぐらい聞きいてあげるよ。
  • Nayami ga aru nara, hanashi gurai kiite ageru yo.
  • If you have worries, I’ll at least listen to you.
    

Deep Dive

Comparison between 〜ぐらい/くらい and 〜ほど:

• 〜ほど is typically used to indicate a higher degree, while 〜ぐらい/くらい indicates a lower degree.
• 〜ほど is more formal, while 〜ぐらい/くらい is more colloquial.

Examples:

• 死しぬほど疲つかれた vs 死しぬぐらい疲つかれた
• Shinu hodo tsukareta vs shinu gurai tsukareta.
• I’m so tired I could die vs I’m tired enough to almost die.
  

• 息子むすこほどの年齢ねんれい vs 息子むすこぐらいの年齢ねんれい
• Musuko hodo no nenrei vs musuko gurai no nenrei.
• An age similar to my son vs an age around my son’s age.
  

Summary

〜ぐらい/くらい is a highly versatile grammar point in Japanese, used to indicate approximate quantities, degrees of intensity, and minimum standards. Understanding its usage and examples will help you use this structure more effectively in everyday conversations.