What is the difference between "goro" and "gurai"?
A. Both "goro （ごろ）" and "gurai （ぐらい）" are used to express approximation. However, "goro" is only used for a specific point in time to mean "approximately."
| Sanji goro uchi ni kaerimasu.三時ごろうちに帰ります。 | I will come home around three o'clock. |
| Rainen no sangatsu goro nihon ni ikimasu. 来年の三月ごろ日本に行きます。 | I am going to Japan around March next year. |
"Gurai （ぐらい）" is used for an approximate time period or quantity.
| Ichi-jikan gurai machimashita.一時間ぐらい待ちました。 | I waited for about an hour. |
| Eki made go-fun gurai desu.駅まで五分ぐらいです。 | It takes about five minutes to get to the station. |
| Kono kutsu wa nisen en gurai deshita.この靴は二千円ぐらいでした。 | These shoes were about 2,000 yen. |
| Hon ga gojussatsu gurai arimasu.本が五十冊ぐらいあります。 | There are about 50 books. |
| Ano ko wa go-sai gurai deshou.あの子は五歳ぐらいでしょう。 | That child is probably about five years old. |
"Gurai （ぐらい）" can be replaced with "hodo （ほど）" or "yaku （約）," though "yaku" comes before the quantity unlike others.
| Sanjuupun hodo hirune o shimashita.三十分ほど昼寝をしました。 | I had a nap for about 30 minutes. |
| Yaku gosen-nin no kanshuu desu. 約五千人の観衆です。 | There are about 5,000 in the audience. |
What is the long dash that sometimes appears in Japanese writing?
The normal short vowel is written with only one symbol in both hiragana and katakana. However, when writing in katakana, the long vowel is expressed with a long dash. In a text written vertically, a vertical line is used instead of a straight line.
| apaatoアパート | apartment |
| biiru ビール | beer |
| puuruプール | pool |
| keekiケーキ | cake |
| koohii コーヒー | coffee |
What is the difference between "kara" and "node"?
A. The conjunction "kara （から）" and "node （ので）" both express reason or cause. While "kara" is used for reason or cause of a speaker's volition, opinion and so on, "node" is for existing (existed) action or situation.
| Kino wa samukatta node uchi ni imashita.昨日は寒かったのでうちにいました。 | Since it was cold, I stayed home. |
| Atama ga itakatta node gakkou o yasunda.頭が痛かったので学校を休んだ。 | Since I had a headache, I didn't go to school. |
| Totemo shizukadatta node yoku nemuremashita.とても静かだったのでよく眠れました。 | Since it was very quiet, I could sleep well. |
| Yoku benkyou shita node shiken ni goukaku shita.よく勉強したので試験に合格した。 | Since I studied hard, I passed the examination. |
The sentences expressing personal judgment such as speculation, suggestion, intention, request, opinion, volition, invitation, and so forth must take "kara （から）."
| Kono kawa wa kitanai kara tabun sakana wa inai deshou.この川は汚いから たぶん魚はいないでしょう。 | Since this river is polluted, there is probably no fish. |
| Mou osoi kara hayaku nenasai.もう遅いから早く寝なさい。 | Go to bed, since it is getting late. |
| Kono hon wa totemo omoshiroi kara yonda hou ga ii.この本はとても面白いから 読んだほうがいい。 | This book is very interesting, so you'd better to read it. |
| Kono kuruma wa furui kara atarashi kuruma ga hoshii desu.この車は古いから 新しい車が欲しいです。 | This car is old, so I want a new car. |
| Samui kara mado o shimete kudasai.寒いから窓を閉めてください。 | It is cold, so please close the window. |
While "kara （から）" focuses more on the reason, "node （ので）" focuses more on the resulting effect. This is why the "kara" clause is used independently more often than "node".
| Doushite okureta no. Densha ni nori okureta kara.どうして遅れたの。 電車に乗り遅れたから。 | Why were you late? Because I missed the train. |
"Kara （から）" can be immediately followed by "~ desu （～です）."
| Atama ga itakatta kara desu.頭が痛かったからです。 | Because I had a headache. |
| Atama ga itakatta node desu.頭が痛かったのでです。 | Wrong |
Good explanation
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