Part 5 · Judgement and nuance · Lesson 48

About and around: くらい, ごろ, ほど, 約 and their cousins

Words for approximation and extent: 'about three hours', 'around five', 'as much as', 'not even', 'almost'. Which fits time, which fits amounts, and which fits distance.

About 4 minutes to read

くらい / ぐらい: about

くらい / ぐらい after a number or amount = "about, around".

三時間さんじかんthree hoursぐらいabout勉強べんきょうしたstudied

I studied for about three hours.

千円せんえん1,000 yenぐらいaboutかかるtake

It costs about 1,000 yen.

It also means "as much as / at least that much":

自分じぶんoneselfのことmatterぐらいat least自分じぶんでby oneselfやりdoなさい

You should at least do your own things yourself.

And "only that much / trivial":

風邪かぜcoldぐらいjust平気へいきfineだ

A little cold is nothing.

ごろ: around (a point in time)

ごろ after a time = "around (that time)":

八時はちじeightごろaroundに来きてcomeください

Please come around eight.

先月せんげつlast monthの末すえendごろaround引ひっ越こしたmoved

I moved around the end of last month.

ごろ is for times; ぐらい is for durations and amounts. Compare: 三時ごろに (at about three) vs 三時間ぐらい (about three hours).

ほど: extent

ほど also marks an approximate amount, but with a focus on degree:

十人じゅうにんten peopleほどabout来きたcame

About ten people came.

死しぬdieほどto the point of疲つかれたtired

I'm dead tired. (tired to the point of dying)

昨日きのうyesterdayほどas寒さむくcoldない

It's not as cold as yesterday.

Differences: ぐらい is neutral; ほど suggests limit or extreme. In "not as 〜 as" sentences, only ほど works.

約, およそ, だいたい

These are written or formal "approximately":

Word	Meaning	Register
約 (やく)	approximately	written
およそ	roughly	written
だいたい	roughly, mostly	spoken
ほぼ	nearly	neutral
〜前後 (ぜんご)	around (before or after)	writing
〜程度 (ていど)	to the degree of	writing

約やくabout三十分さんじゅっぷんthirty minutesかかるtake

It takes about thirty minutes.

出席者しゅっせきしゃattendeesはおよそroughly百人ひゃくにん100 peopleだった

There were roughly 100 attendees.

だいたいmostly分わかったunderstood

I mostly understood.

Almost: ほとんど, もう少しで

ほとんど = "almost all" (positive) or "almost none" (negative):

ほとんどalmost食たべeat終おわったfinished

I've almost finished eating.

水みずwaterがほとんどalmostない

There's almost no water.

もう少しで = "almost, nearly (and then didn't)":

もう少すこしでnearly遅刻ちこくするbe lateところpointだった

I almost was late.

〜ばかり: approximately, nothing but

ばかり after a number = "about". It also appears in:

一時間いちじかんone hourばかりabout待まったwaited

I waited about an hour.

"Per": 〜に

に after a period marks "per": 一日に三回 (three times a day), 週に二回 (twice a week), 一人に一つ (one per person).

一日いちにちone dayにper三回さんかいthree times薬くすりmedicineを飲のむtake

Take the medicine three times a day.

Longer sentences

Approximate numbers make sense in context. Read the amounts and the clues about how rough they are.

駅えきからfrom the station歩あるいてon foot十分じっぷんぐらいabout ten minutesかかるtakes小ちいさなsmall店みせでat a shop毎週まいしゅうevery week日曜日にちようびのSunday's午後三時ごごさんじごろaround 3 p.m.二十人にじゅうにんほどがabout twenty people集あつまってgather and一時間いちじかんばかりabout an hour話はなしているtalk

At a small shop about ten minutes' walk from the station, around twenty people gather every Sunday at about 3 p.m. and talk for roughly an hour.

Key points

ぐらい / くらい: amounts and durations. ごろ: points in time.
ほど: extent, degree; the only one in "not as 〜 as".
約, およそ, だいたい: formal and casual "roughly".
ほとんど: almost all/none. もう少しで: nearly.
に after a period = "per".

Drill these patterns

Short example sentences for the points in this lesson: