N1 Scope, Range, and Extent

~ぐるみ: meaning, usage and examples

~ぐるみ means: the whole... / including...

Updated 9 November 2026 · By the My Senpai team · Spotted a mistake? Tell us

Examples

1. その不正ふせいは、会社かいしゃぐるみで隠蔽いんぺいされていた。

   The fraud had been covered up by the entire company.

2. 私わたしたちは家族かぞくぐるみで仲良なかよくしている。

   Our families are close friends.

3. この村むらでは、村むらぐるみで伝統でんとうの祭まつりを守まもってきた。

   In this village, the whole community has kept its traditional festival alive.

4. 地域ちいきぐるみで、子こどもたちの登とう下校げこうを見守みまもっている。

   The whole neighborhood keeps an eye on the children on their way to and from school.

When to use it

Means involving the whole group or everything, without exception. It attaches to a small set of nouns: 家族かぞくぐるみ, 町まちぐるみ, 地域ちいきぐるみ, 会社かいしゃぐるみ, 組織そしきぐるみ, 身みぐるみ. Example: 町まちぐるみで祭まつりを準備じゅんびする (the whole town prepares the festival). It is used for both cooperation and organized wrongdoing.

Nuance

Neutral; appears in news and conversation. 会社かいしゃぐるみ and 組織そしきぐるみ usually describe wrongdoing (cover-ups, fraud), while 家族かぞくぐるみの付つき合あい and 町まちぐるみ are warm. It works only with a limited set of nouns; it does not attach freely to any noun.

Compare

ぐるみ stresses that the whole group acts as one: 会社かいしゃぐるみで隠かくす. 中じゅう means throughout a space or time: 町中まちじゅうが祭まつりでにぎわう. ずくめ means filled with one thing: 黒くろずくめの服ふく, いいことずくめ. まみれ means covered in something dirty: 泥どろまみれ.

Tip: Memorize the collocations as chunks: 家族かぞくぐるみの付つき合あい, 町まちぐるみの取とり組くみ, 組織そしきぐるみの不正ふせい.