N1 Time, Timing, and Transition

もはや: meaning, usage and examples

もはや means: already / now / no longer.

Updated 9 November 2026 · By the My Senpai team · Spotted a mistake? Tell us

Examples

1. もはや手遅ておくれだ。今いまから始はじめても間まに合あわない。

   It's already too late. Even if we start now, we won't make it.

2. 彼かれの怒いかりはもはや抑おさえられないほどに達たっしていた。

   His anger had already reached a point where it could no longer be suppressed.

3. 在宅ざいたく勤務きんむは、もはや珍めずらしいことではない。

   Working from home is no longer unusual.

4. ここまで点差てんさが開ひらくと、もはや逆転ぎゃくてんは難むずかしい。

   With the score gap this wide, a comeback is now out of reach.

When to use it

An adverb meaning "by now, already, no longer," used when a situation has gone so far that it cannot go back. Example: もはや手遅ておくれだ (it is already too late). Often used to say that something once special is now ordinary: 在宅ざいたく勤務きんむはもはや珍めずらしくない.

Nuance

Somewhat written and serious; it often sounds resigned or emphatic. Commonly with negatives (もはや〜ない) or with judgments like 手遅ておくれ, 限界げんかい, 常識じょうしき. Not used for simple completion of a task (宿題しゅくだいはもう終おわった, not もはや).

Compare

もう covers both "already" and "no longer" in daily speech: もう食たべた. もはや is formal and adds that a point of no return has been passed. すでに means "already" as a neutral fact: すでに出発しゅっぱつした. いまさら adds "too late to bother": いまさら謝あやまっても遅おそい.

Tip: Use もはや for big, irreversible changes. For everyday "already" (already ate, already home), stay with もう.