Japanese word

最も

Pronunciation

Romajimottomo

Meaning

  • adverbmost

Example

これが最も好きです。ko re ga motto mo su ki de su

I like this the most.

Illustration for 最も (most)

More examples

この中で、この本が最もおもしろいです。ko no naka de ko no hon ga motto mo o mo shi ro i de su

Of these, this book is the most interesting.

この方法が最も簡単です。ko no hō hō ga motto mo kan tan de su

This method is the easiest.

Core concept

Marks one item or degree as the highest among all those being compared.

Common phrases

  • 最も大切な人motto mo tai setsu na hito

    the most important person

  • 最もよく使う言葉motto mo yo ku tsuka u koto ba

    the word used most often

Similar words

一番ichiban: Marks one item or degree as the highest in an informal or conversational comparison.

Definition in Japanese

比べたものの中で程度がいちばん上であることを表す語。kura be ta mo no no naka de tei do ga i chi ba n ue de a ru ko to o arawa su go

Word origin

最も (mottomo, "most") is the native Japanese adverb もっとも (mottomo), written with 最 (sai, "utmost") to express the highest degree among compared things.

Usage tips

  • In everyday conversation, 一番 (ichiban) is often more natural than 最も (mottomo) for saying "the most," while 最も is common in formal or written Japanese.

Other meanings

  • extremelyadverb

Word lists with this word