Word
ぐっと
Meaning in Englishfirmly, fast, more
Word context
What it means
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.
Main 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.
How to use it
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.
Variants and close terms
- 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
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.
Word class
adverb (副詞)