最もっとも

also: もとも

も

っ

と

も

Common wordJLPTN4Freq.FrequencyTop 1,000

Meanings

1

adverb

most; extremely

Superlative adverb used to indicate the highest degree among a group or in a given context. Often used with adjectives and adjectival nouns.

彼かれはクラスで最もっとも背せが高たかい。
He is the tallest in the class.
これは最もっとも重じゅう要ような問もん題だいだ

。

This is the most important issue.

Written forms

最もUsage69%
- もっとも
  Standard kanji spelling for the superlative adverb.
- もとも
  out-dated reading
もっともUsage31%
Kana spelling is common in everyday writing.
尤もUsage<1%
- もっとも
  Uncommon kanji form; rarely used in modern Japanese.
- もとも
  out-dated reading
もとも
out-dated reading
Obsolete kana form; not used in contemporary Japanese.

Kanji

最utmost, most, extreme
尤reasonable, just, natural

Similar words

一いち番ばん
一番 is more colloquial and commonly used in spoken Japanese, while 最も is slightly more formal and often found in written language.

Etymology

Derived from the adjective 尤も (もっとも, 'reasonable, plausible') used adverbially, with the kanji 最 ('most') later applied to represent the superlative meaning. The obsolete reading もとも reflects an older phonetic form.