Amounts

くらい・ぐらい

V (ない)

い-Adj

な-Adj + な

N + の

+ くらい・ぐらい

Means “about” or “approximately” when talking about numbers or counter words. Focuses on the uncertainty of the number. ぐらい is more common than くらい in conversations, but can change depending on the preceding word.

Example

電車でんしゃはどのくらいで到着とうちゃくしますか。 About how much time will the train take to arrive?

医者いしゃに１時間ぐらいを待まってました。 I waited approximately an hour for the doctor.

Also used to compare things as being similar.

Example

友達ともだちと試験しけんの結果けっかは同おなじぐらいです。 My friend and I have about the same results at the test.

Also means “to the extent of”.

Example

食べなくて寝ねたいぐらい疲つかれています。 I’m tired to the extent of not eating and going to sleep.

ばかり

Means “about” or “approximately”, when used with nouns indicating time or distance. Has the same meaning as ぐらい or ほど, but only in written form.

Example

薬屋くすりやまで１０分ばかりかかる。 It takes about 10 minutes to get to the pharmacy.

は particle

See は.

ほど

V (non-past)

い-Adj

な-Adj + な

N

+ 程

程ほど, like くらい, it describes an approximate amount. It focuses on a limit being reached. It translates to “about” or “to the extent”.

Example

地下鉄ちかてつを乗のるために、死しぬ程走はしった。 In order to catch the subway, I ran to death.

一応

一応いちおう means “more or less”, “roughly”. Can also mean “just in case”. Used to tell the minimum required amount is done.

Examples

一応終おわりましたけど。 I more or less finished, but…

一度に

一いち度どに means “all at once”.

Example

バスは一度に１００人にんを乗のせることができる。 A bus can carry 100 persons at a time.

ずつ

Used with nouns that express a number or a counter, meaning “each”, “at time”. Used with 少すこし, means “little by little”.

Example

２個こずつください。 I’ll take two of each please.

ろくに～ない

Means “not enough, improperly, insufficiently”. Used with a negative phrase.

Examples

５年ねん中国語ちゅうごくごを勉強べんきょうしたのに、ろくに喋しゃべらない。 Even tough I studied Chinese for 5 years, I cannot speak it really well.