ぐるみ

The suffix ぐるみ attaches to nouns and expresses the idea of "the whole …" or "all of … together". It indicates that something involves an entire group, organization, or body – not just a part of it. It is often translated as "-wide," "the whole," or "all together."

ぐるみ is written in kanji as ぐるみ (sometimes seen as 包み, though the hiragana form is far more common). It combines with a relatively limited set of nouns, most of which refer to groups, places, or the body.

Common combinations

The most frequently encountered collocations are:

• まち町ぐるみ – the whole town

  まち町ぐるみでおまつりお祭りをもりあげた盛り上げた。

  The whole town came together to liven up the festival.

• くに国ぐるみ – the whole nation / nationwide

  くに国ぐるみのしえん支援がひつよう必要だ。

  Nationwide support is needed.

• かいしゃ会社ぐるみ – company-wide / the entire company

  かいしゃ会社ぐるみでふせい不正がおこなわれていた行われていた。

  Fraud was being carried out on a company-wide scale.

• かぞく家族ぐるみ – involving the whole family / families together

  かぞく家族ぐるみのつきあい付き合いをしている。

  We socialize as whole families.

• みぐるみ身ぐるみ – everything on one's person (clothes and belongings)

  みぐるみ身ぐるみはがされた。

  I was stripped of everything I had.

Nuance

ぐるみ emphasizes totality and collective involvement. When used with organizations or groups, it often implies that the entire entity is complicit or participating – which can carry a negative connotation in contexts involving wrongdoing (e.g., そしき組織ぐるみのはんざい犯罪 "organization-wide crime"). However, it is also used in neutral or positive contexts such as community events and family relationships.

Usage notes

ぐるみ functions as a suffix and typically appears in one of two patterns:

• Noun + ぐるみ + で (adverbial: "with the whole …")

  ちいき地域ぐるみでこどもたち子供たちをみまもっている見守っている。

  The whole community watches over the children.

• Noun + ぐるみ + の + Noun (adjectival: "… -wide")

  そしき組織ぐるみのいんぺい隠蔽がはっかく発覚した。

  An organization-wide cover-up was uncovered.