もっぱら

も

っ

ぱ

ら

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

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.

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.

〈事こと〉が専もっぱらの噂うわさだit's widely rumored that ~
二人ふたりが結けっ婚こんするというのが専もっぱらの噂うわさだ。
It's widely rumored that the two of them are getting married.
専もっぱら〈動どう詞し〉to do something exclusively/mainly
彼かれは最さい近きん、専もっぱら小しょう説せつを書かくことに時じ間かんを使つかっている。
Lately he's been spending his time almost exclusively on writing novels.

主おもにN3sense 2
主に is the neutral, everyday word for 'mainly', while 専ら stresses near-total exclusivity or single-minded focus.
ひたすらN1sense 1
ひたすら emphasizes single-minded devotion to one action, whereas 専ら can describe exclusivity in either action or state without implying effort.
ひとえにN1
専ら means 'exclusively' or 'mainly' about an activity or focus, whereas ひとえに stresses that a single cause or reason is wholly responsible for something.

専せん門もんN5
専門 is a noun meaning 'specialty/area of expertise', while 専ら is an adverb meaning 'exclusively/mostly'; they share the kanji 専 but differ in part of speech and meaning.

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

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.