ごろごろ

also: ごろんごろん

ご

ろ

ご

ろ

Common wordJLPTN3Freq.FrequencyTop 10,000

ごろごろする · noun or participle which takes 'suru'

Form	Positive	Negative
Dictionary	ごろごろする	ごろごろしない
Polite	ごろごろします	ごろごろしません
Past polite	ごろごろしました	ごろごろしませんでした
Past	ごろごろした	ごろごろしなかった
Te-form	ごろごろして	ごろごろしないで
Desire	ごろごろしたい	ごろごろしたくない
Potential	ごろごろできる	ごろごろできない
Passive	ごろごろされる	ごろごろされない
Causative	ごろごろさせる	ごろごろさせない
Causative passive	ごろごろさせられる	ごろごろさせられない
Volitional	ごろごろしよう
Polite volitional	ごろごろしましょう
Imperative	ごろごろしろ	ごろごろするな
Conditional	ごろごろすれば	ごろごろしなければ
Tara conditional	ごろごろしたら	ごろごろしなかったら

Meanings

adverb, adverb taking the 'to' particle, noun or participle which takes 'suru'

rumbling; grumbling; growling; purring

onomatopoeic or mimetic word

Mimics a low, continuous sound: thunder, a hungry stomach, a cat's purr, or a machine's hum.

遠とおくで雷かみなりがごろごろ鳴なっている。
Thunder is rumbling in the distance.
お腹なかが空すいて、お腹なかがごろごろ鳴なった。
I was hungry and my stomach growled.
猫ねこが喉のどをごろごろ鳴ならしている。
The cat is purring.

adverb, adverb taking the 'to' particle, noun or participle which takes 'suru'

rolling; tumbling

onomatopoeic or mimetic word

Describes something large and heavy rolling or tumbling, often with a rumbling sound.

大おおきな岩いわが坂さかをごろごろ転ころがり落おちた。
A large rock tumbled down the slope.
倉そう庫こにはドラム缶かんがごろごろ転ころがっている。
Drums are lying around rolling in the warehouse.

adverb, adverb taking the 'to' particle, noun or participle which takes 'suru'

all over the place; everywhere; in great numbers

onomatopoeic or mimetic word

Indicates that many things of the same kind are scattered or present in abundance, often with a sense of disorder.

この辺あたりにはコンビニがごろごろある。
There are convenience stores all over the place around here.
引ひき出だしの中なかに使つかわないペンがごろごろしている。
Unused pens are lying around in the drawer.

adverb, adverb taking the 'to' particle, noun or participle which takes 'suru'

idly; lazily; lounging around

onomatopoeic or mimetic word

Describes spending time doing nothing productive, often lying around at home.

休やすみの日ひは家いえでごろごろしている。
On my days off, I just laze around at home.
子こ供どもたちがソファでごろごろしながらテレビを見みている。
The kids are lounging on the sofa watching TV.

adverb, adverb taking the 'to' particle, noun or participle which takes 'suru'

feeling of a foreign object; gritty sensation

onomatopoeic or mimetic word

Describes the uncomfortable feeling of having something like dust or a hair in one's eye, or a lump in the stomach.

目めにゴミが入はいってごろごろする。
There's something in my eye and it feels gritty.
胃いがごろごろして気き持もち悪わるい。
My stomach feels heavy and uncomfortable.

noun

thunder

children's languageonomatopoeic or mimetic word

Childish word for thunder, from the rumbling sound.

ゴロゴロが鳴なってるから、早はやく帰かえろう。
Thunder is rumbling, so let's hurry home.

See all 43 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈物もの〉がゴロゴロ鳴なるfor something (thunder, a stomach) to rumble
雷かみなりがゴロゴロと鳴なっている。
The thunder is rumbling.
〈物もの〉がゴロゴロ転ころがるfor something heavy to roll or tumble along
山やまから大おおきな石いしがゴロゴロと転ころがってきた。
A big rock came tumbling down from the mountain.
〈場ば所しょ〉に〈物もの〉がゴロゴロしているfor lots of the same thing to be scattered around a place
この辺あたりには空あき缶かんがゴロゴロしている。
There are empty cans scattered all over around here.
〈人ひと〉がゴロゴロするfor someone to lounge around lazily, doing nothing
休やすみの日ひは家いえでゴロゴロしている。
On days off I just lounge around at home.
目めがゴロゴロするfor one's eye to feel gritty or irritated
ほこりが入はいって目めがゴロゴロする。
Dust got in my eye and it feels gritty.

Related words· 6

ガラガラN3sense 1
ガラガラ describes a lighter, clattering or rattling sound (like empty cans), while ゴロゴロ describes a deeper, heavier rumbling or rolling sound.
だらだらN2sense 4
だらだら emphasizes dragging on sluggishly or dripping continuously, while ゴロゴロ focuses on lying around idly with no particular motion.
ぶらぶらN2sense 4
ぶらぶら suggests aimless wandering or strolling, while ゴロゴロ suggests lying down and doing nothing, often at home.
コロコロN1
コロコロ describes something small and light rolling, while ゴロゴロ describes something heavier or larger rolling or rumbling.

Show 2 more

ごうごうN1
ゴロゴロ is a lower, rolling rumble typical of distant thunder, while 轟々 conveys a more intense, sustained roaring sound.
轟とどろ
ゴロゴロ is a common, colloquial onomatopoeia for rumbling or rolling sounds, much more casual and current than the archaic 轟.

Don't confuse with

コロコロN1sense 2
コロコロ mimics small, light objects rolling cutely, whereas ゴロゴロ mimics large, heavy objects rolling with a rumbling sound.
ゴシゴシN1
ゴシゴシ and ゴロゴロ sound similar as reduplicated mimetic words, but ゴシゴシ means vigorous scrubbing while ゴロゴロ means rolling, rumbling, or lounging around idly.

Written forms

ごろごろUsage40%
Standard hiragana spelling; the most common written form.
ゴロゴロUsage60%
Katakana variant often used for emphasis or in informal writing.
ごろんごろん
Emphatic or prolonged variant for rolling/tumbling; less common.
ゴロンゴロン
Katakana version of the emphatic rolling variant.

Etymology

Onomatopoeic word mimicking a low, continuous rumbling or rolling sound. The exact origin is uncertain, but it is a typical reduplicative mimetic form in Japanese.