ぎっしり

also: ぎっちり

ぎ

っ

し

り

Common wordJLPTN3Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

adverb, adverb taking the 'to' particle

tightly packed; densely; crammed

onomatopoeic or mimetic word

Describes a space filled to capacity with little or no room to spare; often used for schedules, containers, or crowds.

箱はこの中なかに本ほんがぎっしり詰つまっている。
The box is tightly packed with books.

今日きょうの予よ定ていはぎっしりだ。

Today's schedule is jam-packed.

Written forms

ぎっしりUsage86%
Standard hiragana spelling; the most common written form.
ギッシリUsage10%
Katakana variant, often used for emphasis or in informal writing.
ぎっちりUsage3%
Rare variant with a slightly different nuance; sometimes implies a tighter or more precise fit.
ギッチリUsage1%
Katakana form of the rare variant ぎっちり.

Similar words

ぎゅうぎゅう
ぎっしり focuses on density and being filled to capacity, while ぎゅうぎゅう emphasizes the sensation of being squeezed or crushed, often with a negative nuance.
すし詰づめ
すし詰め specifically describes people packed tightly like sushi in a box, whereas ぎっしり can apply to objects, schedules, or abstract things.

Etymology

Onomatopoeic or mimetic word; the exact derivation is uncertain, but it likely imitates the sound or feeling of something being pressed tightly together.