Can’t read kana yet? Show the Japanese in romaji too.
You are lost in a big station. You walk past the same shop for the third time. You are going ぐるぐる.
What it means
ぐるぐる is moving in circles, again and again: a spinning top, a dog chasing its tail, you walking around the same block.
How to use it
Put it before a moving verb: ぐるぐる まわります (spin), ぐるぐる あるきます (walk in circles).
Yuki
えきが どこか わかりません…。
I can't find the station...
Fuji
さっきから ぐるぐる あるいて いますね。
We've been walking in circles for a while.
Yuki
ちずを みましょう…。
Let's look at the map...
Close cousins
- くるくるlighter, quicker spinning: a twirl, curly hair
- ぐるっとone turn all the way around
- ふらふらwobbly and dizzy, about to fall
In manga and anime
A character who is dizzy, confused or knocked out gets spiral eyes, called ぐるぐるめ. It is one of the most common faces in comedy scenes.
Can you use it?
Yes, anywhere. It is a plain, everyday word: for things that spin, and for being lost.