Meaning

Primary

In Its Entirety

Alternatives

Whole, Wholly, Entirely

Word Type

adverb

Explanation

If you go to (ごと) a circle, you need to go to it in its entirety. That means you have to circle around the whole thing. Otherwise, it isn't even a circle. It's like a line or a squiggle or something.

You often hear this word when talking about food – like when biting into a whole apple or accidentally swallowing a grape without chewing. But it's not just for food: you can also use it to talk about memorizing a whole book from beginning to end, for example.

Reading

まるごと
  • Kyoko
    (Tokyo accent, female)
  • Kenichi
    (Tokyo accent, male)

Explanation

Since this word consists of a kanji with hiragana attached, you can bet that it will use the kun'yomi reading. You learned this reading, so you should be able to read this too!

Context

Pattern of Use

Common Word Combinations

  • 丸ごとかぶりつく

    to bite into the whole thing

    丸ごとおぼえる

    to memorize the whole thing

    丸ごとたべる

    to eat the whole thing

Context Sentences

半分じゃなくて丸ごと一つ下さい。

Please give me the whole thing, not just half.

パイントのアイスを丸ごと一人でたべた。

I ate a whole pint ice cream all by myself.

マンゴーをケース丸ごともらった。

I got a whole case of mangoes.

Kanji Composition