ぐぐる
ぐぐる
guguru
= to Google / to search online
ぐぐる (guguru) is the Japanese verb made from ‘Google’ — to google something. It is a perfect example of how Japanese absorbs a brand name, attaches a verb ending, and makes it a fully conjugatable part of the language.
Guguru is the verb form of Google, formed by taking the katakana グーグル (guuguru) and converting it into a casual verb using the godan verb pattern with る (ru). It means to search for something online, almost always using Google or a similar search engine. The word conjugates like a regular godan verb: ぐぐった (gugutta — googled it), ぐぐってみた (gugutte mita — tried googling it), ぐぐれ (gugure — google it!). The word is casual and colloquial — you would use it with friends, not in a report.
Guguru is widely understood and used in Japan but is entirely casual. In formal writing, use 検索する (kensaku suru — to search). The imperative ぐぐれ (gugure — just google it) or ぐぐれかす (gugure kasu — google it, idiot) is a blunt way to tell someone to look something up themselves. The softer ぐぐってみて (gugutte mite — try googling it) is more polite.
Everyday use
知らない言葉はすぐぐぐる癖がついてしまった。
Shiranai kotoba wa sugu guguru kuse ga tsuite shimatta.
I’ve gotten into the habit of immediately Googling words I don’t know.
Casual / Social Media
なんかよくわかんない…ぐぐってみる
Nanka yoku wakannai… gugutte miru
I don’t really get it… let me google it
Formal / Cultural context
ブランド名が動詞化する現象は世界各言語で見られるが、「ぐぐる」は日本語における典型的な事例である。
Burando mei ga doshi-ka suru genshou wa sekai kaku gengo de mirareruga, ‘guguru’ wa nihongo ni okeru tenkeiteki na jirei de aru.
The phenomenon of brand names becoming verbs is seen across world languages, and ‘guguru’ is a typical example in Japanese.
Guguru is a classic example of verbing — a brand name converted into a verb — in Japanese. Japanese facilitates this conversion easily because adding する (suru) to a noun is a standard way to create verbs, and the godan verb pattern with る allows further flexibility. The word became common in casual Japanese in the early 2000s as Google became the dominant search engine and ‘googling’ entered daily life worldwide.
The phrase ぐぐれ (gugure — google it) has a particular cultural resonance in Japanese internet culture, similar to ‘Google it’ or ‘LMGTFY’ (Let Me Google That For You) in English. It is often directed at someone asking a question that could be easily answered with a basic search — used to politely (or rudely) suggest the person do their own research before asking. On forums and discussion boards, the phrase is sometimes regarded as gatekeeping, but it is also a practical expression of information self-sufficiency culture.
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