ぐるぐる

See also: くるくる

Japanese

Etymology

This term is part of of a cluster of terms derived from root ぐる (guru, “turning? spinning? going around in a circle?”).

  • ぐるり (gururi, adverb), attested from 1603[1]
  • ぐるぐる (guruguru, adverb), attested from 1625[1]
  • ぐる (guru, noun), attested from 1692[1]
  • ぐるっと (gurutto, adverb), attested from 1907[1]

This term guruguru could be analyzed as a reduplication of ぐる (guru), or as a shift from くるくる (kurukuru). Japanese adverbs with voiced initial consonants usually refer to softer, heavier, or slower action than counterparts with unvoiced initial consonants.

Pronunciation
  • (Tokyo) ぐ​るぐる [gúꜜrùgùrù] (Atamadaka – [1])[2][3][4]
  • IPA(key): [ɡɯ̟ᵝɾɯ̟ᵝɡɯ̟ᵝɾɯ̟ᵝ]

Adverb

ぐるぐる or グルグル • (guruguru) 

  1. [from 1625] turning round and round; whirling; spinning
    ぐるぐる回(まわ)る
    guruguru mawaru
    to spin round and round

Usage notes

May be found with or without adverbial particle と (to), sometimes with gemination for emphasis, such as ぐるぐるっと (gurugurutto).

References
  1. Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
  2. Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  3. NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK Publishing, →ISBN
  4. Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
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