くらい / ぐらい

About

ぐらい (used interchangeably with くらい), is used to make approximations, and is often translated as "about" or "around". ぐらい・くらい can be used to make approximations about any category, including time, distance, and amount.

To use ぐらい・くらい, simply attach it to the amount of something being approximated.

E.g. 5キロぐらい "around 5 kg"

E.g. 10時間じかんぐらい "around 10 hours"

ぐらい・くらい cannot be used for specific periods of time, such as one's childhood or "the time when one was a university student", since these are measurable, not approximations.

Summary

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  ぐらい・くらい is used to make approximations

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  ぐらい・くらい attaches to an amount of something to make an approximation of it