～頃
around the time of / when
～頃（ころ）attaches to a noun (usually with の) or to a time word to mean “around the time of”. With periods of life it works like English “when I was ...”, and with clock times it means “at about ...” (in that case it is read ごろ).
Unlike ～時（とき）, which points to a specific time, ～頃 is deliberately vague: it covers a fuzzy stretch of time around the point you mention.
1. A period of life or the past
Noun + の + 頃 describes a stage of life or an era, like “when I was a child” or “in my student days”.
子供の頃はよく川で泳いだ。
“When I was a child, I often swam in the river.”
- 子供（こども）= child
- の = linking particle (connects 子供 to 頃)
- 頃（ころ）= around the time of
- は = topic marker
- よく = often
- 川（かわ）= river
- で = place-of-action marker
- 泳いだ（およいだ）= swam
2. An approximate clock time
Attached directly to a clock time, 頃 is read ごろ and means “at about”. It softens the time the same way English “around” does.
毎朝七時頃に起きます。
“I get up at around seven every morning.”
- 毎朝（まいあさ）= every morning
- 七時頃（しちじごろ）= around seven o'clock
- に = time marker
- 起きます（おきます）= get up
How to form it
Noun + の + 頃, or time word + 頃（ごろ）
- 子供（こども）= child → 子供の頃（こどものころ）= when I was a child
- 学生（がくせい）= student → 学生の頃（がくせいのころ）= in my student days
- 三時（さんじ）= three o'clock → 三時頃（さんじごろ）= around three o'clock
Key idea
～頃 draws a loose circle around a time instead of pointing at it. Reach for it whenever English would say “around ...” or “back when ...”.
Other N4 grammar
Updated .