ころ・
ごろ marks an approximate clock or calendar point, while ころ describes the loosely defined period or stage when something was true.
Choosing the form
Use ごろ after a named point on a clock or calendar. Use ころ when a clause, adjective, or noun describes a broader period or stage. In both cases, the boundaries are deliberately loose rather than exact.
A time point and a life stage
Adding the time particle
ごろ can be followed by に. With many ordinary clock-time expressions, the sentence is also natural without it. Its presence does not make the approximate time exact.
With and without the time particle
Both versions below are natural.
A point in time versus a length of time
Use 七時ごろ for “around seven,” because it is a point on the clock. A duration such as “about seven hours” instead takes 七時間ぐらい. The second pattern can also approximate prices, distances, and other quantities; ごろ cannot.
More examples
来週の火曜日ごろ、結果が出ます。
The results will come out around next Tuesday.
Analyze桜は四月の初めごろ咲き始めます。
The cherry trees begin blooming around the beginning of April.
Analyze今ごろ、もう空港に着いているでしょう。
They have probably reached the airport by about now.
Analyze若いころは毎週山に登っていました。
When I was young, I climbed a mountain every week.
Analyze日本に住んでいたころ、毎朝この公園を走りました。
When I lived in Japan, I ran through this park every morning.
Analyze新しい図書館は秋ごろ完成する予定です。
The new library is scheduled to be completed around autumn.
Analyze