Word
もう
Meaning in Englishalready / more
Sentence
Related sentences
N4
彼はもう帰ったはずです。
Kare wa mou kaetta hazu desu.
He should have already gone home.
N4
もう一度説明してもらえますか。
Mou ichido setsumei shite moraemasu ka.
Could you explain one more time?
N4
もう出発するつもり？
Mou shuppatsu suru tsumori
Are you planning to leave already
N4
たぶんもう始まっているよね
Tabun mou hajimatte iru yo ne
It probably already started right
N4
その結果についてもう少し詳しく説明してもらえますか
Sono kekka ni tsuite mou sukoshi kuwashiku setsumei shite moraemasu ka
Could you explain the result in more detail
N4
先生に直してもらった文章をもう一度読み直した
Sensei ni naoshite moratta bunshou o mou ichido yominaoshita
I reread the text corrected by the teacher
N4
この問題についてもう少し詳しく説明してもらえる？
Kono mondai ni tsuite mou sukoshi kuwashiku setsumei shite moraeru
Can you explain this problem in more detail
N4
もう少し早く出発していれば渋滞に巻き込まれなかったのに
Mou sukoshi hayaku shuppatsu shite ireba juutai ni makikomarenakatta noni
If I had left earlier I would not have been caught in traffic
N4
もう少しで電車に乗り遅れるところだった
Mou sukoshi de densha ni noriokureru tokoro datta
I almost missed the train
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