もう is a small adverb with three meanings, and the words after it decide which one you get. With an affirmative verb it means “already”. With a negative verb it means “not anymore”. Before a number or amount it means “another” or “more”. Once you look at what follows もう, the meaning is almost never ambiguous.
もう marks a change from before: something is now done, now over, or now one more than it was.
What does もう mean?
The three meanings all share one idea: the situation has moved past a point.
- Already (+ affirmative): もう食べました。 — I’ve already eaten. The eating is done.
- Not anymore (+ negative): もう食べません。 — I won’t eat any more. / I’m not eating anymore. Something that used to happen has stopped.
- Another / more (+ quantity): もう一つください。 — One more, please. You go one step past the current amount.
There is also a fourth, closely related use: もう + a time or state means “it’s already…”: もう九時です。 (It’s already nine.) That still means “already”, with a hint of “later than I thought”.
How to form もう
もう usually comes near the start of the clause, before the verb, and it does not change form. What matters is the word that follows it.
A few fixed chunks are worth memorizing as whole phrases because they appear everywhere:
- もう一度 — one more time
- もう少し — a little more
- もう一つ — one more (thing)
- もういいです — that’s enough / never mind
When is もう used?
- Reporting that something is done: homework, meals, buying tickets. 宿題はもう終わりました。
- Asking if something is done: もう〜ましたか。 This is the standard “have you … yet?” question.
- Saying something has stopped: a habit, a feeling, or an ongoing situation. もうたばこを吸いません。
- Asking for more: in shops, restaurants, and class. もう一度言ってください。 is one of the most useful classroom sentences you can learn.
- Refusing politely: もういいです or もう結構です when you don’t want more.
もう is neutral and works in both casual and polite speech. The politeness comes from the verb ending, not from もう.
もう example sentences
もう昼ご飯を食べました。
I've already had lunch.
「もう切符を買いましたか。」「はい、もう買いました。」
"Have you bought the ticket yet?" "Yes, I already have."
あの店にはもう行きません。
I'm not going to that shop anymore.
薬を飲みましたから、もう痛くないです。
I took some medicine, so it doesn't hurt anymore.
すみません、もう一度言ってください。
Sorry, could you say that one more time?
もう少し待ってください。
Please wait a little longer.
もう十一時ですよ。早く寝てください。
It's already eleven. Go to bed.
Nuance of もう
“Already” can carry surprise. もう終わりましたか？ can mean “Are you done already?” — faster than expected. With a time, もう十一時 implies “later than it should be”. English “already” has the same feeling, so this nuance transfers well.
“Not anymore” implies there was a before. もう行きません says you used to go and now you have stopped. If you have never gone, you just say 行きません. This is why もう + negative often sounds final or emotional: もう知りません! is “I don’t care anymore!”
“More” with もう vs もっと. もう adds a unit (one more cup, one more time, a little more), while もっと raises a degree (bigger, faster, study harder). もう一つ is “one more”; もっと大きい is “bigger”.
Answering "yet?" questions: to もう〜ましたか, say はい、もう〜ました for yes. For no, say いいえ、まだです or いいえ、まだ〜ていません. Never answer with a past negative like 〜ませんでした — that means "I didn't do it (at that time)", not "not yet".
もう vs まだ
もう and まだ are opposites on the same timeline, and they are almost always tested together.
The pairs line up neatly: もう〜ました (already did) ↔ まだ〜ていません (haven’t yet), and もう〜ません (not anymore) ↔ まだ〜ます / まだ〜ています (still). See まだ～ていません for the “not yet” form in detail.
Common mistakes with もう
"Not yet" is まだ + 〜ていません (or just まだです). The past negative ませんでした says it didn't happen at some point in the past.
For "one more" of something countable, use もう. もっと means "more" in degree: もっと安いのはありますか (Do you have a cheaper one?).
"Still" is まだ. もう + 〜ています means "already": "I'm already living in Japan (sooner than expected)".
Is もう on the JLPT?
Yes. もう is core JLPT N5 grammar. It shows up in fill-in-the-blank questions paired with まだ, and in listening questions where you must decide whether an action is finished.
- Read もう + affirmative as "already" and もう + negative as "not anymore"
- Pick もう or まだ from the verb form that follows the blank
- Answer もう〜ましたか with もう〜ました or まだ〜ていません
- Recognize もう一度 / もう少し / もう一つ as "more" phrases
Practice questions for もう
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宿題はもう終わりました。 — I've already finished my homework.
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いいえ、まだ見ていません。 — No, I haven't seen it yet.
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もうコーヒーを飲みません。 — I don't drink coffee anymore.
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お茶をもう一杯ください。 — One more cup of tea, please.
Learning path for もう
Related grammar to review next
- まだ — the direct opposite of もう; the pair covers already/still and not anymore/not yet.
- まだ～ていません — the correct “no” answer to a もう〜ましたか question.
- ている — combines with もう to describe a state that has already begun.
- たことがある — another “have you…?” pattern, for experience instead of completion.
Learn もう with Hane
Hane quizzes you on もう and まだ with real questions and answers, so the “not yet” reply becomes automatic. Start practicing with Hane.
FAQ about もう
What does もう (mou) mean in Japanese?
もう (mou) means “already or anymore”. It is JLPT N5 grammar. The three meanings all share one idea: the situation has moved past a point.
How do you form もう (mou)?
もう usually comes near the start of the clause, before the verb, and it does not change form. What matters is the word that follows it.
What is the difference between もう and まだ?
もう: already / not anymore. まだ: still / not yet.
What is an example sentence with もう (mou)?
もう昼ご飯を食べました。 — I've already had lunch.