くらいだ／ぐらいだ

Level

JLPT N3

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くらいだ／ぐらいだ

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Yuzuo Chan

28.06.2026

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Meaning

So (much) that…; to the extent that…; almost to the point of… (shows the degree of a state or action through an extreme example or comparison)

Conjugation

Vふつう形 + くらいだ: Aい + くらいだ

Examples

Show translation

嬉うれしくて、泣なきたいくらいだ。

今日きょうは暑あつくて、倒たおれそうなくらいだ。

毎日まいにち忙いそがしくて、寝ねる時間じかんもないくらいだ。

先生せんせいには、感謝かんしゃしてもしきれないくらいだ。

彼かれの冗談じょうだんは、死しぬかと思おもうくらい面白おもしろかった。

今日きょうは寒さむくて、家いえから出でたくないくらいだ。

grammarDetailPage.commonMistakes.title

grammarDetailPage.commonMistakes.wrong: 外そとは寒さむいくらい、ジャケットを着きている。

grammarDetailPage.commonMistakes.correct: 外そとは寒さむくて、ジャケットを着きたいくらいだ。

grammarDetailPage.commonMistakes.why: The original sentence does not express the intended degree relationship naturally. To describe an extreme degree of cold, use 寒さむくて followed by an illustrative result, such as ジャケットを着きたいくらいだ. Note that くらい can also be followed by a comma and a main clause, as in 泣なきたいくらい、嬉うれしい.

grammarDetailPage.commonMistakes.wrong: 嫌きらい寿司すしを食たべるくらいお腹なかが空すいた。

grammarDetailPage.commonMistakes.correct: 嫌きらいな寿司すしでも食たべるくらいお腹なかが空すいた。

grammarDetailPage.commonMistakes.why: 嫌い is a na-adjective and needs な before a noun. Adding でも makes the extreme example clearer.

grammarDetailPage.commonMistakes.wrong: 不思議ふしぎくらい静しずかだ。

grammarDetailPage.commonMistakes.correct: 不思議ふしぎなくらい静しずかだ。

grammarDetailPage.commonMistakes.why: Na-adjectives require な before くらい, as in 不思議ふしぎなくらい静しずかだ ('It's surprisingly quiet'). I-adjectives and verbs can connect directly to くらい in their appropriate forms, while nouns can also precede くらい without な.

Key points

Use it to show how strong a state is by giving a vivid, often exaggerated, example or comparison, such as 泣なきたいくらいだ ('I could almost cry'). The phrase before くらい is the extreme comparison that illustrates the degree, while the main predicate (e.g. 嬉うれしい in 泣なきたいくらい嬉うれしい) is the actual state. It is common in conversation; くらい and ぐらい are generally interchangeable, while ほど is often used in more formal writing. This differs from the quantity くらい ('about'), as in 三時間さんじかんくらい, which follows numbers or quantity expressions.

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