The Meaning of mou [もう] In Japanese

もう
もう
Romaji: mou N5

What does もう mean?

Translation and Meaning

already, any more, no longer

Definition

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.

Type

adverb (副詞)

Stroke Order

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

Usage

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.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: imagine saying もう to signal a switch to the next step — you are moving on, so hold the ‘mo’ sound and stretch it as you proceed.

Variations

  • すでに — already (sude ni)
  • まだ — not yet (mada)
  • もう少し — a little more (mou sukoshi)

Example Phrases

  • こんな下らない話、もう聞く気はない。
    Konna kudaranai hanashi, mou kiku ki wa nai.
    I won’t listen to such a trivial talk anymore.
    Lista:
    • こんな (konna) – such
    • 下らない (kudaranai) – trivial
    • 話 (hanashi) – talk
    • もう (mou) – anymore
    • 聞く (kiku) – to listen
    • 気は (ki wa) – interest
    • ない (nai) – not
    下らない is an i-adjective meaning ‘worthless/trivial’ that directly modifies a noun; here it forms 「こんな「下らない」話」 meaning ‘such a trivial talk’; 気はない expresses lack of interest.
  • 新刊の「シリーズ」、どの順番で読もうか迷うね。
    Shinkan no 「shirīzu」, dono junban de yomou ka mayou ne.
    Which order should I read the new series?
    Lista:
    • 新刊の (shinkan no) – direct translation in en
    • 「シリーズ」 (shirīzu) – direct translation in en
    • どの順番で (dono junban de) – direct translation in en
    • 読もうか (yomou ka) – direct translation in en
    • 迷うね (mayou ne) – direct translation in en
    The word 「シリーズ」 is a katakana loanword used as a noun; here it functions as the object of the discussion about reading order. The phrase どの順番で asks ‘which order,’ and 読もうか is the volitional form used to propose reading; 迷うね expresses hesitation.
  • 今日 の 仕事 は もう 完了 した ので 安心 した
    Kyou no shigoto wa mou kanryou shita node anshin shita
    Today’s work is already completed, so I felt relieved.
    Lista:
    • 今日 (kyou) – today
    • の (no) – of
    • 仕事 (shigoto) – work
    • は (wa) – topic marker
    • もう (mou) – already
    • 完了 (kanryou) – completion
    • した (shita) – did
    • ので (node) – so
    • 安心 (anshin) – relief
    • した (shita) – did
    In this sentence, 「完了」 is a noun meaning ‘completion’ used with した to indicate that something has been completed.
  • もう 仕事 が 終わった と 思った のに まだ 残っている。
    Mou shigoto ga owatta to omotta noni mada nokotte iru.
    I thought my work was finished, but there’s still more.
    Lista:
    • もう (mou) – already
    • 仕事 (shigoto) – work
    • が (ga) – subject marker
    • 終わった (owatta) – finished
    • と (to) – that
    • 思った (omotta) – thought
    • のに (noni) – although
    • まだ (mada) – still
    • 残っている (nokotte iru) – is remaining
    「もう」 here marks the ‘already’ nuance, signaling that the speaker thought it was already finished.
  • 今日は 約束は もう 決まり だ。
    Kyou wa yakusoku wa mou kimari da.
    Today, the promise is already decided.
    Lista:
    • 今日は (kyou wa) – today
    • 約束は (yakusoku wa) – the promise
    • もう (mou) – already
    • 決まり (kimari) – decision
    • だ (da) – is
    In this context, 「決まり」 is the noun form of 決まる, meaning a decision or settled matter; with だ it states that something is decided.
もう