Structure
Noun + ごろ, Noun + の + ころ
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Standard
使用域
一般
About ごろ
ころ, or ごろ (the colloquial pronunciation) is a word which carries the meaning of 'around', or 'about'. It is utilized in a similar way to くらい, but has a few differences. When ごろ is used, it will need to be attached to the end of a noun, or a noun followed by の.
Just like with English, if the 'time' expressed is very specific, then either くらい or ころ could be used naturally. This is due to the 'span', and the 'extent' already being something that is a 'precise point' in these cases.
- 11時頃に帰ってくる。I will be home around 11.
- 私は大学生の頃に富士山を登りました。I climbed Mount Fuji around when I was a college student.
- 子供のくらいはよく親と動物園へ行きました。When I was approximately a child, I often went to the zoo with my parents. (Unnatural Japanese, as being a child is a broad time frame)
- 子供のころはよく親と動物園へ行きました。Around when I was a child, I often went to the zoo with my parents. (Natural Japanese)
- 2メートルくらいの所に印をつけてください。Please make a mark around the 2 meter point. (Natural Japanese, as an approximation is being discussed)
- 2メートルごろの所に印をつけてください。Please make a mark within the span of 2 meters. (Unnatural Japanese, as the listener would think that marking a line anywhere within the two meter space is fine)
Just like with English, if the 'time' expressed is very specific, then either くらい or ころ could be used naturally. This is due to the 'span', and the 'extent' already being something that is a 'precise point' in these cases.
- 今日は12時くらいに帰る。I will be home around 12.
- 今日は12時頃に帰る。I will be home around 12.
Caution
The kanji form of 頃 is also very common, so it is worth learning as soon as possible, to save any confusion while reading.Synonyms
Examples
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8時頃に帰りました。
I went home around eight o'clock.
東京に行った友達は今頃着いているでしょう。
My friend who went to Tokyo is probably arriving around now...
月曜日の夜頃に、雨が降ります。
It will rain around Monday night.
何時頃帰って来る?
Around what time will you come home?
11時頃に帰って来るから、ご飯はいらないです。
I will get home about 11, so I don't need dinner.
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ごろ – Grammar Discussion
Most Recent Replies (11 in total)
dharlequin
I’m having difficulties understanding why “goro” is used in this example instead of “gurai”:
東京に行った友達は今頃着いているでしょう。
“now” seems like a very short period of time, which is perfect for “gurai”. And this aligns just right with the following grammar explanation:
In this way, ころ could also be translated as ‘within the span of (A)’, while くらい is closer to ‘at the point of (A)’.
Or I’m just deeply confused and missing the general point and idea.
Fuga
Hey @dharlequin !
The reason that ごろ is used here is because 今 is a noun and くらい is used after numbers of counter words.
Although the English translation is similar, because it is used after different kinds of words, using them interchangeably makes the sentence sound very unnatural!
Hope this answers your question!
dharlequin
Thank you! This little piece of clarification seems like exactly what I was missing.
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