The Meaning of ima ni mo [今にも] In Japanese

今にも
いまにも
Romaji: ima ni mo N5

What does 今にも mean?

Translation and Meaning

at any moment, any moment now, soon, just about to happen

Definition

今にも means ‘at any moment’ or ‘soon’, indicating that something is imminent or on the verge of occurring; it conveys immediacy and a sense of anticipation for what is about to happen.

Type

expression, adverbial phrase (副詞句)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • Indicates that something may happen at any moment; imminent.
  • Used to describe something that seems about to occur right away, creating a sense of tension or expectancy.
  • Often pairs with verbs or constructions like そうだ to express that an event is about to take place soon.

Etymology

今 ima + に (temporal particle) + も (emphatic/additive particle) together form a native idiomatic expression of immediacy, without external loanwords.

Composition

  • 今: ‘now’ or present moment
  • に: temporal/location particle
  • も: emphatic/additive particle meaning ‘even’

Usage

Used across casual and neutral formal registers to describe imminent events; typically followed by verbs in the plain form or constructions like そうだ/ている to express that something is about to happen; common patterns include 今にも〜そうだ and 今にも〜てしまいそうだ.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: imagine the clock hands stepping from ‘now’ to ‘even now’ — 今にも marks the moment when the present is about to flip into the near future.

Variations

  • 間もなく (mamonaku) — soon
  • もうすぐ (mōsugu) — in a short time / very soon
  • すぐに (sugu ni) — immediately

Example Phrases

  • 今にも雨が降りそうなので、傘を持って出かけた。
    Ima ni ame ga furisō node, kasa o motte dekaketa.
    Since it looks like it’s going to rain any moment now, I headed out with an umbrella.
    Lista:
    • 今にも (ima ni) – any moment now
    • 雨が (ame ga) – rain (subject marker)
    • 降りそう (furisō) – looks like it’s going to rain
    • なので (nanode) – so
    • 傘を (kasa o) – umbrella
    • 持って (motte) – holding
    • 出かけた (dekaketa) – went out
    「今にも」 expresses imminence: something will happen very soon; in this sentence it marks the rain as imminent.
今にも