The Meaning of mamonaku [間もなく] In Japanese

間もなく
まもなく
Romaji: mamonaku N4

What does 間もなく mean?

Translation and Meaning

soon, shortly, any moment now

Definition

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.

Type

adverb (副詞)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • in a short time, soon
  • before long; in the near future
  • an imminent or near-term event, signaling that something will occur soon

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.

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’

Usage

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.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: think of 間 as a clock interval and なく as negating length; the phrase literally says the interval isn’t long, so something will happen soon.

Variations

  • もうすぐ — mou sugu
  • すぐに — sugu ni
  • 直ちに — tadachi ni
  • 遅く — osoku

Example Phrases

  • 間もなく 雨が 降りそう なので 傘を 持っていく。
    mamonaku ame ga furisou nanode kasa o motte iku.
    It’s going to rain soon, so I’ll bring an umbrella.
    Lista:
    • 間もなく (mamonaku) – soon
    • 雨が (ame ga) – rain (subject)
    • 降りそう (furisou) – looks like it’s going to rain
    • なので (nanode) – so
    • 傘を (kasa o) – umbrella (object)
    • 持っていく (motte iku) – to bring
    In this sentence, 「間もなく」 means ‘soon’ and modifies the following clause, signaling imminent rain.
間もなく