まもなく

ま

も

な

く

Common wordJLPTN3Freq.FrequencyTop 10,000

Meanings

adverb

soon; shortly; before long

usually written using kana alone

Indicates that something will happen in the near future. Often used in formal announcements and written language, but also common in speech.

まもなく電でん車しゃが参まいります。
The train will be arriving shortly.
まもなく会かい議ぎが始はじまりますので、お席せきにお戻もどりください。
The meeting will begin soon, so please return to your seats.

adverb

having no time to ...; with no time to ...

Used after the dictionary form of a verb to mean 'without even having time to do ...'. This is a set grammatical pattern.

彼かれは休やすむまもなく次つぎの仕し事ごとに取とりかかった。
He started the next task without even having time to rest.
考かんがえるまもなく、彼かの女じょは返へん事じをした。
She replied without even having time to think.

Usage patterns

まもなく〈動どう詞し〉something will happen soon (formal announcement style)
まもなく電でん車しゃが到とう着ちゃくします。
The train will arrive shortly.
〈動どう詞し〉まもなく〈動どう詞し〉no sooner had one done X than Y happened
家いえに着つくまもなく雨あめが降ふり出だした。
No sooner had I arrived home than it started to rain.
まもなく〈時とき〉a particular time or season will soon arrive
まもなく夏なつ休やすみです。
Summer vacation is coming soon.

Kanji

間interval, space
無nothingness, none, ain't

Related words· 9

もうすぐN5sense 1
もうすぐ is casual and subjective, used in everyday speech, while まもなく is more formal and objective, common in announcements and writing.
すぐN4sense 1
すぐ means 'right away/immediately' in casual conversation, whereas まもなく is a softer, more formal way of saying something will happen soon.
やがてN3sense 1
やがて is literary and suggests a longer, more gradual approach toward an event, while まもなく implies the event is imminent.
近ちか々ぢかN2
まもなく and 近々 both mean 'soon', but まもなく feels more immediate and is common in formal announcements, while 近々 points to an unspecified near future.

Show 5 more

直じきにN1
間もなく is more formal and typical of announcements or writing, whereas 直に is casual and conversational for 'soon'.
直じきN1
間もなく means 'before long' and is common in announcements or formal narration, whereas 直 (じき) is more colloquial and often paired with もう as もうじき.
近きん日じつN1
間もなく means 'shortly' or 'before long' and usually implies a shorter, more imminent timeframe than 近日, which suggests a few days out.
ほどなくN1
まもなく is common in announcements and polite speech, whereas 程なく has a more literary, narrative feel often found in written stories.
もうじきN1
まもなく is more formal and typical of announcements, whereas もうじき is casual, everyday speech.

Politeness

もうすぐplainN5
間もなく is the more formal, written/announcement-style equivalent of もうすぐ, which is the everyday spoken word.

Written forms

間まもなく
Kanji form using 間. Seen in formal writing, but kana is preferred in most contexts.
間まも無なく
Kanji form with 無. Rare and somewhat archaic; not recommended for learners.

Etymology

From 間 (ma, 'interval') + も (mo, 'even') + なく (naku, adverbial form of ない 'not'). Literally 'without even an interval', it came to mean 'soon' or 'before long'.