# くらい
## Japanese
### Etymology 1

* Alternative spellings
* 暗い 昏い 闇い 冥い 黯い (rare)
From Old Japanese. Found in the Nihon Shoki of 720 CE.

#### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) くらい [kùráí] (Heiban – [0])
* IPA: [kɯ̟ɾa̠i]
* Tokyo pitch accent of inflected forms of 「暗い」
Source: Online Japanese Accent Dictionary :
| Stem forms ||||
| Continuative (連用形) | 暗く | くらく | [kùrákú] |
| Terminal (終止形) | 暗い | くらい くらい | [kùráí] [kùráꜜì] |
| Attributive (連体形) | 暗い | くらい | [kùráí] |
| Key constructions ||||
| Informal negative | 暗くない | くらくない | [kùrákúnáꜜì] |
| Informal past | 暗かった | くらかった | [kùráꜜkàttà] |
| Informal negative past | 暗くなかった | くらくなかった | [kùrákúnáꜜkàttà] |
| Formal | 暗いです | くらいです | [kùráꜜìdèsù] |
| Conjunctive | 暗くて | くらくて | [kùráꜜkùtè] |
| Conditional | 暗ければ | くらければ | [kùráꜜkèrèbà] |

#### Adjective

くらい • (kurai) -i (adverbial くらく (kuraku))
* dark; dim
* sombre; gloomy

##### Inflection

Stem forms :
| Imperfective (未然形) | くらかろ | kurakaro |
| Continuative (連用形) | くらく | kuraku |
| Terminal (終止形) | くらい | kurai |
| Attributive (連体形) | くらい | kurai |
| Hypothetical (仮定形) | くらけれ | kurakere |
| Imperative (命令形) | くらかれ | kurakare |
| Key constructions ||||
| Informal negative | くらくない | kuraku nai |
| Informal past | くらかった | kurakatta |
| Informal negative past | くらくなかった | kuraku nakatta |
| Formal | くらいです | kurai desu |
| Formal negative | くらくないです | kuraku nai desu |
| Formal past | くらかったです | kurakatta desu |
| Formal negative past | くらくなかったです | kuraku nakatta desu |
| Conjunctive | くらくて | kurakute |
| Conditional | くらければ | kurakereba |
| Provisional | くらかったら | kurakattara |
| Volitional | くらかろう | kurakarō |
| Adverbial | くらく | kuraku |
| Degree | くらさ | kurasa |

##### Antonyms

* 明(あか)るい (akarui)

### Etymology 2

* Alternative spelling
* 位 (obsolete for adverb)
/kurawi/ → /kurai/
Originally a compound of 座 (kura, “seat, where something is placed”) +‎ 居 (wi, “being, existing in a place”), literally referring to "where one is", and by extension, "status, rank, position; degree". Appears from at least as early as The Tale of Genji (prior to 1021 CE).

#### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) くらい [kùráí] (Heiban – [0])
* IPA: [kɯ̟ɾa̠i]

#### Adverb

くらい • (kurai)
* about, approximately
    新(しん)宿(じゅく)はどれくらい遠(とお)いですか。
       Shinjuku wa dore kurai tōi desu ka.
       How far is Shinjuku?
    十(じゅっ)分(ぷん)ぐらい掛(か)かる。
       Juppun gurai kakaru.
       It takes about ten minutes.
* at least, if anything
    今(こん)回(かい)くらいは頑(がん)張(ば)ろうかな。
       Konkai kurai wa ganbarō kana.
       Maybe I should put in the effort at least once (this time).
    これくらいは大(だい)丈(じょう)夫(ぶ)だろう。
       Kore kurai wa daijōbu darō.
       I imagine that you won't have difficulties with this much.
    いるだろ、好(す)きな人(ひと)くらい。
       Iru daro, suki na hito kurai.
       There must be someone you like

##### Alternative forms

* ぐらい (gurai)

##### See also

* ほど (hodo)

#### Noun

くらい • (kurai)
* grade, rank, standing
    位(くらい)が上(あ)がる、位(くらい)が下(くだ)す。
       Kurai ga agaru, kurai ga kudasu.
       To rise in rank, to lower in rank.
    位(くらい)の高(たか)い人(ひと) ― kurai no takai hito ― high-ranking person
* the throne, the crown
    位(くらい)を譲(ゆず)る ― kurai o yuzuru ― to abdicate the throne
    位(くらい)につく ― kurai ni tsuku ― to assume the throne
* (mathematics) place, position
* being at the point of, the place where, the point where, the time when,
** 1999, Pokémon Gold and Silver:
    諦(あきら)めるくらいなら最(さい)初(しょ)から夢(ゆめ)見(み)ないよな。
       Akirameru kurai nara saisho kara yume minai yona.
       If you're giving up,you weren't all that brave in the first place.
       (literally, “If you're at the point of giving up, you weren't ambitious in the first place.”)

##### Derived terms

* 位(くらい)する (kurai suru)
* 位(くらい)倒(だお)れ (kuraidaore)
* 位(くらい)付(づ)け (kuraizuke)
* 位(くらい)取(ど)る (kuraidoru)
* 位(くらい)負(まけ) (kuraimake)

#### Suffix

くらい • (-kurai)
* seat, position, rank, grade

### Etymology 3

* Alternative spelling
* 食らい
The 連(れん)用(よう)形(けい) (ren'yōkei, “stem or continuative form”) of the verb 食(く)らう (kurau, “to eat”, informal).

#### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) くらい [kùráí] (Heiban – [0])
* IPA: [kɯ̟ɾa̠i]

#### Noun

くらい • (kurai)
* (usually in compounds) eating

#### Verb

くらい • (kurai)
* stem or continuative form of くらう (kurau) [godan]

### References

* 1 2 3 Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
* 1 2 3 4 5 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
* ↑ 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), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN