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JLPT N3Comparison

～くらい／～ぐらい— To That Extent

Indicates an approximate amount ('about, around') or, more distinctively at N3, marks a degree or extent — 'so ... that' or 'to the point of'. It can present something as a minor benchmark ('at least that much') or an extreme illustration ('cried so much I couldn't breathe'). くらい and ぐらい are interchangeable.

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Pro lessonUNIT 21 · COMPARISON

Structure · 形

[Noun / Verb plain / い-adj / な-adj な] + くらい／ぐらい

Examples · 例文

  • 泣きたいくらい嬉しかった。

    Nakitai kurai ureshikatta.

    I was so happy I could have cried.

    泣きたい + くらい shows the extreme degree of happiness

  • 駅まで十分ぐらいかかります。

    Eki made juppun gurai kakarimasu.

    It takes about ten minutes to the station.

    十分 + ぐらい = approximate amount 'about'

  • 自分の部屋くらい自分で掃除しなさい。

    Jibun no heya kurai jibun de souji shinasai.

    At least clean your own room yourself.

    部屋 + くらい presents it as a minimal, easy standard

Usage notes · 注意

  • Degree usage often pairs with 〜ほど; both express extent, but くらい can sound more casual.
  • The 'minimal standard' nuance (せめて〜くらい) implies 'that much is the least you could do'.
  • くらい/ぐらい are freely interchangeable; ぐらい is slightly more colloquial.

Commonly confused with

The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones ～くらい／～ぐらい is tested against.

vsほど

ほど can express upper limits and negative comparisons (〜ほど〜ない); くらい is preferred for approximation and for 'minimal / trivial standard' nuances, which ほど lacks.

vsころ／頃

頃 refers to an approximate point in time ('around when'); くらい refers to approximate quantity, degree or extent.

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