Grammar Info

N4 Lesson 2: 8/17

頃(ころ)Around, About

Structure

Verb + ころ
［い］Adjective + ころ
［な］Adjective + な + ころ
Noun + ごろ
Noun + の + ころ

Details

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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.

The main difference between ころ and くらい is that ころ can be (and often is) used to express a broad point in time, while くらい is limited to expressing timeframes that are more specific.

Conversely, ころ will not be used when expressing approximate distances/lengths.

The primary reason for this is that ころ expresses a span of something, while くらい expresses an extent. 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)'. As an easier way to think about it, if we have a one meter ruler, ころ could express anywhere between 1 to 100 centimeters (the span), but くらい can only express somewhere between 90 and 100 centimeters (the extent).

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.

Caution

The kanji form of 頃(ころ) is also very common, so it is worth learning as soon as possible, to save any confusion while reading.

Examples

--:--

    ８時(はちじ)頃(ごろ)に帰(かえ)りました。

    I went home around eight o'clock.

    東京(とうきょう)に行(い)った友達(ともだち)は今(いま)頃(ごろ)着(つ)いているでしょう。

    My friend who went to Tokyo is probably arriving around now...

    月曜日(げつようび)の夜(よる)頃(ごろ)に、雨(あめ)が降(ふ)ります。

    It will rain around Monday night.

    何時(なんじ)頃(ごろ)帰(かえ)って来(く)る？

    Around what time will you come home?

    １１時(じゅういちじ)頃(ごろ)に帰(かえ)って来(く)るから、ご飯(はん)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

        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

        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

        dharlequin

        Thank you! This little piece of clarification seems like exactly what I was missing.

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