もう
もう
hepburn mou
already, anymore
Part of speech · adverb
Pattern visualization
no decomposition available
Examples
- もう食べました。I have already eaten.
- もう行きましょう。Let us go now.
Collocations
もう (mou, already / now)もう一度 (mou ichido, once more)もう少し (mou sukoshi, a little more)もうすぐ (mou sugu, very soon)もう〜ない (mou〜nai, no longer)
Mnemonic
もう mou — the opposite of mada with three semantic layers: ① already (completion); ② now / soon (time shift); ③ more (addition). With negation, "mou〜nai" = "no longer." Korean ima / imi / deo all map onto a single mou — one word integrates three meaning axes. Sense fixes via collocation, tense, and context. "Mou!" as an exclamation expresses frustration.
Quick check
Meaning of "mou ichido"?