JMDict lists several words for already marked as common:
もう
既に
最早
早
先刻
疾っくに
兼ねて
Is there any difference between all these "already" words, and is there among them a "universal" one which can be used in any context?
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2By 'universal' it sounds to me like you're mostly asking 'is there a perfect Japanese equivalent to the English word "already"'. English 'already' has its own restrictions on usage, and probably doesn't meet your criteria for being 'universal' and 'valid in any context'.– SjiveruCommented May 6, 2017 at 19:41
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All three senses of English dictionary.com/browse/already are very close to each other, they all indicate or imply perfect tense.– user1602Commented May 6, 2017 at 20:22
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2もう is applicable to any of three usages in the link above.– user4092Commented May 7, 2017 at 1:21
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1すでに sounds a bit stiff, but probably technically accomplishes what you want...– KurausukunCommented May 7, 2017 at 1:45
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1 Answer
The answer would be "もう"
I'm not sure how many contexts it could be for the usage of "already" but here's just a few basic examples:
I already ate = もうご飯食べた
Oh, it's already 12? = あれ、もう12時ですか
We're already late = 僕ら、もう遅れてるんだ
I already know that = もう知ってるんだよ
Hope it helps.
