もっぱら

も

っ

ぱ

ら

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

1

adverb, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'

usually written using kana alone

Emphasizes that something is done entirely or exclusively in a certain way, without other elements.

この店みせはもっぱら地じ元もとの食しょく材ざいを使つかっている。

This shop uses exclusively local ingredients.

2

adverb, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'

usually written using kana alone

Indicates that something is the primary or most common case, though not necessarily exclusive.

もっぱらUsage77%
Usually written in kana; the kanji form 専ら is also used but less common.
専らUsage23%
- もっぱら
  Kanji form; less common than kana but still encountered.
- もはら
  out-dated reading
もはら
out-dated reading

主おもに
主に also means 'mainly', but is more neutral and common in everyday speech. もっぱら often carries a stronger sense of exclusivity or concentration.
専せん用よう
専用 is a noun meaning 'exclusive use', while もっぱら is an adverb/adjectival noun describing the manner of an action.

Derived from the kanji 専 (exclusively, solely) with the adverbial suffix ら. The reading もっぱら is a sound shift from もはら, which is now obsolete.