How to tell them apart
もう marks a change from a past state — something has already happened or is no longer the case (もう食べた, もう勉強していない), while まだ marks continuity — the same state persists or has not yet begun (まだ食べていない, まだある). The trap is that both can pair with negative verbs, but the meaning flips: もう食べていない means you stopped, whereas まだ食べていない means you haven't started. Choose based on whether the state changed or stayed the same.
- もう Use もう when a state has changed from before — it happened already or no longer happens.
- まだ Use まだ when a state is the same as before — it is still happening or has not happened yet.
| Grammar point | Meaning | JLPT level |
|---|---|---|
| もう mou | Already; not anymore; an exclamation of annoyance | N5 |
| まだ mada | continuing up to now; has not happened so far | N5 |
もう mou
Already; not anymore; an exclamation of annoyance
もう is an adverb meaning already when used with affirmative past or completed actions, as in もう食べた, and no longer or not anymore when used with negatives, as in もういらない. It is placed directly before a verb, adjective, or noun phrase, such as もうこんな時間, and it can stand alone as an exclamation to show impatience or exasperation. With negatives it often pairs with past or present forms to stress that a state has ended.
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もうおいとまする時間です。
It is time I was going.
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あ、もうこんな時間。行かなきゃ。
Oh, it's already this late. I have to go.
まだ mada
continuing up to now; has not happened so far
まだ is an adverb meaning that a situation continues up to now, translated as still in affirmative sentences and as not yet in negative sentences. It is placed before the predicate and can occur with verbs in forms like ている or ていない, with i-adjectives and na-adjectives, and with nouns followed by だ. It is neutral in register and common in conversation. Remember that the not yet meaning comes from the negative verb ending, not from まだ alone.
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ポケモンゴー、まだやってるの？
Do you still play Pokemon Go?
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読めない人がまだいます。
There are still people who are unable to read.
もう and まだ are both JLPT N5 grammar points that Japanese learners often mix up. This page compares them side by side on meanings, usage and example sentences, so you can tell them apart.