The Meaning of gutto [ぐっと] In Japanese

ぐっと
ぐっと
Romaji: gutto N5

What does ぐっと mean?

Translation and Meaning

firmly, strongly, with a sudden burst, markedly

Definition

What does ぐっと mean? It denotes performing an action with strength, emphasis, or a sudden change, often implying effort or emotional intensity. It marks the manner of how something is done rather than what is done, conveying force, resolve, or spontaneity.

Type

adverb (副詞)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • With strong effort or force; to do something firmly or with a big push, physically or mentally.
  • With emotional intensity; to feel or express a sudden strong emotion or reaction.
  • With a noticeable, abrupt change or increase; to rise or occur markedly.

Etymology

ぐ conveys intensity and readiness; っと marks abruptness and compression; together they form the adverb ぐっと indicating a strong, sudden push or emphasis.

Usage

Used in everyday speech and writing to show the manner of an action; attaches to verbs to express doing something with effort or emphasis; used in casual, semi-formal, and literary contexts with verbs like ぐっと握る, ぐっと耐える, ぐっと変わる.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: imagine gripping something with your guts to convey strength; gutto evokes a strong, decisive action.

Variations

  • ぐんと (gunto) — considerably, much more
  • ぐいっと (guitto) — with a vigorous, continuous motion
  • きゅっと (kyutto) — tightly, with a quick, compact motion

Example Phrases

  • 会議の前にぐっと深呼吸して落ち着いた。
    Kaigi no mae ni gutto shinkokyuu shite ochitsuita.
    Before the meeting, I took a deep breath and calmed down.
    Lista:
    • 会議 (kaigi) – meeting
    • の (no) – of
    • 前に (mae ni) – before
    • ぐっと (gutto) – firmly
    • 深呼吸 (shinkokyuu) – deep breath
    • して (shite) – and
    • 落ち着いた (ochitsuita) – calmed down
    ぐっと indica uma ação forte/decisiva; aqui enfatiza 「深呼吸」.
ぐっと