Word
もう
Meaning in Englishalready / more
Sentence
Related sentences
N3
彼はもう駅に着いているに違いないから先に行こう
Kare wa mou eki ni tsuite iru ni chigainai kara saki ni ikou
He must already be at the station so let us go ahead
N3
その問題に関してはもう少し調べてから答える
Sono mondai ni kanshite wa mou sukoshi shirabete kara kotaeru
Regarding that issue I will research more before answering
N3
彼が遅れるはずがないからもう来ていると思う
Kare ga okureru hazu ga nai kara mou kite iru to omou
There is no way he is late so he must be here
N4
彼はもう家に帰ったかもしれません。
Kare wa mou ie ni kaetta kamoshiremasen.
He may have already gone home.
N4
彼はもう駅に着いたはずです。
Kare wa mou eki ni tsuita hazu desu.
He should have already arrived at the station.
N4
彼はもう家に帰ったでしょう。
Kare wa mou ie ni kaetta deshou.
He has probably already returned home.
N4
彼はもう家に帰ったに違いありません。
Kare wa mou ie ni kaetta ni chigai arimasen.
He must have already returned home.
N4
彼はもう帰ったかもしれない
Kare wa mou kaetta kamoshirenai
He may have already gone home
N4
もう一度説明させてください。
Mou ichido setsumei sasete kudasai.
Please let me explain once more.
Word context
What it means
What does もう mean? It means 'already', 'any more', or 'no longer' and is a versatile adverb that marks that an action is completed or a state has changed, while also serving as a general sentence-level cue to move the conversation forward.
Main meanings
- already indicates something has happened before now
- with a negative verb it expresses that something is no longer the case or not anymore
- as a sentence-level cue, it can push a response or shift the topic in casual speech
- in some phrases it functions as an intensifier or part of a fixed expression such as もういい
How to use it
Used across registers to indicate that an action has already occurred or a state has changed. It answers questions about timing and changes expectations, and it commonly appears in casual speech and writing. In negative contexts, もう + ない expresses that something no longer happens. Typical usage includes statements about completion, quick succession, or prompting a decision.
Variants and close terms
- すでに — already (sude ni)
- まだ — not yet (mada)
- もう少し — a little more (mou sukoshi)
Word class
adverb (副詞)
Grammar