What it means
ぐるみ is a suffix meaning “together with” or “including everyone and everything in a group.” It is attached to a noun to show that the whole group participates or is involved, rather than only a representative or part of it. It is especially common with groups such as 家族, 親子, and 地域, and often appears before の plus a noun, as in 家族ぐるみの交流.
Usage note
ぐるみ itself does not have separate familiar and polite forms. Sentence politeness is determined by the predicate that follows the ぐるみ phrase. Do not confuse it with まるごと, which generally means “whole” or “entire” without necessarily emphasizing the participation of all members of a group.
How to use it
家族ぐるみの交流が始まりました。
Interaction involving entire families began.
家族ぐるみの交流が始まった。
Interaction involving entire families began.
Example sentences
町内会は、地域ぐるみの防災訓練を毎年秋に実施している。
The neighborhood association conducts a disaster preparedness drill involving the entire community every autumn.
親子ぐるみの読書会では、毎月一冊の海外文学を取り上げる。
At the parent-and-child reading group, one work of foreign literature is discussed each month.
会社は社員ぐるみの清掃活動を