もう (mou) Japanese meaning: already

もう (mou) Japanese meaning: already | Kotomora

Grammar

すぐN4sense 2
すぐ simply means 'soon' or 'right away', while もう in this sense (often as もうすぐ) adds a nuance of imminence building up to a point.
後あとN5sense 3
あと and もう can both mean 'more' before a counter (あと一つ／もう一つ), but あと emphasizes what remains while もう emphasizes addition.
既すでにN3sense 1
既に is a more formal, written equivalent of もう when meaning 'already'; もう is used in everyday speech.
とっくにN3
もう simply means 'already' and is neutral about how long ago, while とっくに adds emphasis that it happened well before now.

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もはやN2
もう is the common, everyday word for 'already' or 'anymore', while 最早 is more formal and emphatic, typically used in written or rhetorical contexts.
早はや
もう is the everyday word for 'already', while 早 is a more literary or fixed-expression way of saying the same thing.
もうすっかり
もう means 'already' by itself, while もうすっかり pairs it with 'completely' to emphasize a fully finished state.

まだN5sense 1
もう marks that something has already happened or is complete, while まだ marks that it has not happened yet or is still ongoing.
まだまだN5
もう means 'already', the direct temporal opposite of まだまだ's sense of 'still not yet there'.

もっとN5sense 3
もう一つ means 'one more (item)' while もっと means 'more' in degree or amount, so もっと大きい (bigger) cannot be replaced with もう大きい.
も
もう is the full adverb meaning 'already' or 'more', while も in casual speech is sometimes heard as a clipped form of もう but is otherwise a completely different particle.

もうUsage100%
Standard kana spelling; no kanji form exists.
もぉUsage<1%
search-only kana form
Search-only kana form; represents an elongated pronunciation.
もーUsage<1%

The origin is uncertain, but it is a native Japanese adverb that has been used since Old Japanese.