間もなく
Meaning in Englishsoon, shortly, before long, in a short time, in a little while
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Word context
What it means
間もなく means 'in a short time; soon.' It indicates that something will happen in the near future, typically shortly after a reference point, and is used in both spoken and written Japanese across formal and informal contexts.
Main meanings
- in a short time, soon
- before long; in the near future
- an imminent or near-term event, signaling that something will occur soon
How to use it
As a temporal adverb, 間もなく places an upcoming action relative to a reference moment. It is appropriate in both formal and informal speech, including forecasts, schedules, announcements, and narrative transitions.
Variants and close terms
- もうすぐ — mou sugu
- すぐに — sugu ni
- 直ちに — tadachi ni
- 遅く — osoku
Composition
- 間 = interval, space between moments
- もなく = combination of も (emphasis/also) and なく (negative form of ない) indicating 'not long'
Etymology
間 (interval, space) + もなく (negative adverbial form of ない) → not a long interval; a near-future marker
Origin
Used in classical literature and continued into modern Japanese; a long-standing expression for marking near-future events.
Word class
adverb (副詞)