もう means “already” or “not anymore”: the verb next to it decides

もう is one of the first adverbs you meet in Japanese, and it refuses to hold one English meaning. The fix is a habit: read the verb next to もう before you translate. A past affirmative verb makes it “already.” A negative verb makes it “not anymore.” The adverb never changes shape; the verb beside it does all the deciding.

That single habit covers most of what you will hear. Two smaller readings, “soon” and “one more,” plus a standalone exasperated もう, complete the set, and each of them is still readable from whatever sits next to the word. もう is commonly listed at N5, so all of these readings show up early.

With a past verb: already done

When the verb is past and affirmative, もう says the action is finished or the situation is already in place. Suppose you are setting up a product demo and a nervous coworker keeps checking on your progress:

This is the classic N5 shape: もう plus a completed verb means the work is behind you. It also sits in front of plain states. Glance at the clock during overtime and もう八時(はちじ)です says “it’s already eight”: the situation has arrived on its own, without anyone doing anything.

With a negative verb: not anymore

Put the same adverb in front of a negative and it flips. Now it says the action or state has stopped and does not continue. It covers dropped habits, closed accounts, and clothes that no longer fit, as long as the verb is negative.

When the negative is a promise about the future, the flip sharpens into “never again”:

Japanese has other adverbs whose English translation depends on the verb’s polarity; another adverb that flips before a negative behaves the same way.

Answering a もう question with “not yet”

A question with もう asks whether something is already done. Answering “yes” is easy: repeat the verb in its past form. Answering “no” is where learners slip, because the natural-looking move, もう plus a negative, means something else entirely. The “not yet” answer belongs to まだ.

The short いいえ、まだです works almost anywhere. The fuller pattern puts まだ on the negative ていません form: まだ書(か)いていません, “I haven’t written it yet.”

Pointing forward: soon

When もう sits before a verb that has not happened yet, it says only a little time is left before it does.

The test stays the same: look at the verb. 来(き)ます points forward, so this もう promises the wait is almost over rather than claiming the train already came. When the action plainly has not happened, hear “almost” instead of “already.”

Adding one more of the same

Before a small amount, or one half of a pair, もう adds more of what is already there. もうちょっと is “a little more.” もう片方(かたほう) is “the other one” of a pair: the second sock, the missing glove, the other earring.

Standing alone: the exasperated もう

With nothing to modify, もう becomes a burst of feeling. You open the door for your housemate, who admits they forgot their key again:

This use strengthens whatever the speaker feels at that moment. Exasperation is the classic case, and the same burst can carry sudden joy or anger just as well.

One picture for the whole set

Give each sentence a progress bar for its action. With a past verb, もう says the bar is already full: nothing left to do. With a negative, it says the window is closed: the bar has stopped and will not move again. Before a forward-pointing verb, it says the bar is one tick from full: hold on, it is almost there. And もうちょっと drags the finish line one small step farther, asking for more of the same. まだ owns the one job もう refuses to do: reporting that the bar has not filled yet.