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もう. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
もう, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
もう in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
もう you have here. The definition of the word
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もう, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
Japanese
Etymology 1
Derivation unknown. First attested in 1477, around the Muromachi Period.
Historical kana orthography shows that this was originally まう (mau), and Portuguese sources from the late 1500s and early 1600s record this as ⟨mǒ⟩, indicating a pronunciation of /mɔː/ as part of the regular sound shift from /au/ to /oː/.
The initial ma is speculatively connected to 今 (ima, ma, “now”).
Pronunciation
Adverb
もう • (mō)
- already (having reached a certain situation or finished a certain action)
- Synonyms: 既に (sude ni), 最早 (mohaya)
- 彼はもうここに来ている。
- Kare wa mō koko ni kite iru.
- He is already here.
- もう子供ではない。
- Mō kodomo de wa nai.
- not a child any more.
- Used to strengthen one's judgment or emotions; compare English already
- Synonym: 正に (masa ni)
- これはもう疑う余地のない事実だ。
- Kore wa mō utagau yochi no nai jijitsu da.
- This is already an undeniable fact!
- already the time to do so; shortly, soon
- ９時ですからもう失礼します。
- Ku-ji desu kara mō shitsurei shimasu.
- It's nine o'clock so I must leave shortly.
- Synonyms: 直に (jiki ni), 間も無く (ma mo naku), やがて (yagate)
- more, further
- Synonyms: 更に (sara ni), 今 (ima)
- もう一杯ください。
- Mō ippai kudasai.
- Give me one more glass.
- (chiefly in the negative) any more, again
- Synonym: 二度とは (nido to wa)
- 私はもう歩けない。
- Watashi wa mō arukenai.
- I can't walk any more.
- もうしませんから許してください。
- Mō shimasen kara yurushite kudasai.
- Please forgive me, I won't do it again.
Usage notes
A common mistake among Japanese language learners is to use もう as a general term meaning more; the correct term in many cases is もっと (motto).
Antonyms
See also
Interjection
もう • (mō)
- (colloquial) Used to express frustration against the addressee; jeez; compare use of English already
- もう、何やってんだよ。
- Mō, nani yatte n da yo.
- Jeez, what're you up to? → Whaddya doing, already?
- 嫌になっちゃうなあ、もう。
- Iya ni natchau nā, mō.
- I'm getting so fed up, already!
Alternative forms
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 “もう”, in 日本国語大辞典 (Nihon Kokugo Daijiten, “Nihon Kokugo Daijiten”) (in Japanese), concise edition, Tōkyō: Shogakukan, 2000
- ^ Ishizuka, Harumichi (1976 ) 日葡辞書: パリ本 (in Japanese and Portuguese), Tōkyō: Bensei Publishing. See the Mǒfaya entry available online here, left-hand column, corresponding to modern もう早 (mōhaya, “already, so soon”, adverb). This persists in Hokkaido dialect, per the 北海道方言辞書 (Hokkaidō Hōgen Jisho, “Hokkaido Dialect Dictionary”), entry available online here via Weblio (in Japanese).
- ^ “も”, in 日本国語大辞典 (Nihon Kokugo Daijiten, “Nihon Kokugo Daijiten”) (in Japanese), concise edition, Tōkyō: Shogakukan, 2000
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 (in Japanese), Third edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK Publishing, →ISBN
Etymology 2
| For pronunciation and definitions of もう – see the following entries.
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| 【毛】2
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- one thousandth
- one thousandth of a 寸 (sun) (approximately 0.0303 mm)
- one thousandth of a 匁 (monme) (exactly 3.75 mg)
- one thousandth of a 割 (wari) (0.01 percent)
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| 【蒙】J
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- humble first-person personal pronoun; I, me
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(This term, もう, is the hiragana spelling of the above terms.)
For a list of all kanji read as もう, see Category:Japanese kanji read as もう.)
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(The following entries are uncreated: 亡, 望, 妄, 朦, 濛, 申, 罔, 耗, 莽, 舞, 孟.)