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Grammar detail: ぐらい and くらい

ぐらい and くらい
about, around, approximately
155 words
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noun
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ぐらい or くらい
means
about, around, approximately
An important factor in determining how to use ぐらい correctly is understanding it is used to talk about an 'amount'; an amount of time, weight, money, height, distance, etc.
4時間ぐらいabout 4 hours
5キロぐらいabout 5 kilograms
800円ぐらいaround 800 yen
170センチぐらいabout 170 centimeters
200メートルぐらいapproximately 200 meters
さんしゅうかん
三週間
ぐらいです。
About three weeks.
6
かい
回
ぐらい
き
聞
いた
よ。
Yeah, I asked about six times.
いま
今
ぐあい
具合
が
よ
良
くない
から
しゅくだい
宿題
ぐらい
すく
少
なく
してくれ。
I'm not feeling very well, so at least give me less homework.
なんじかん
何時間
ぐらい
さが
探
しています
か。
How long have you been searching?
ぐらい and くらい can also be used to make comparative assessments, in which case they can be combined with verbs and adjectives - see 〜は〜ぐらいです  ~ is as ~ as, ~ is to the extent of ~ .
In modern Japanese, ぐらい and くらい are interchangeable, but that was not always the case - see くらい vs ぐらい.
ぐらい is also commonly used after the words どの or どれ (which) to mean 'how much', 'how long' etc:
くるま
車
でどれくらいかかりますか。
How long does it take by car?
Interestingly, どの and どれ are interchangeable, but their equivalents, この and これ, are not - この is used with an object, and これ is used when the object is implied.
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Kanji used in this grammar

時
ジ   とき time, occasion   
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間
カン   ケン   あいだ interval, between   ま space, room   
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円
エン    circle, yen   まるい round   
三
サン   み    みっつ three   
週
シュウ    a week   
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回
カイ   エ   まわる to revolve   まわす to make turn   
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聞
ブン   モン   きく to listen, to hear   きこえる to be heard   
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今
コン   キン   いま now   
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具
グ    tools   
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合
ゴウ   ガッ   カッ   あう to fit, come together   あわす to match   あわせる to unite, join   
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良
リョウ   よい good   
宿
シュク   inn   やど an inn   やどる to lodge   やどす to give lodgings   
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題
ダイ    topic   
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少
ショウ   すこし a little   すくない few   
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何
カ   なに    なん what?   
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探
タン   さぐる to grope for   さがす to search for   
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車
シャ   くるま car   
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