JLPT N4・N5 Vocabulary – The difference between “すぐ” and “もうすぐ”

Table of Contents

1. The difference between “すぐ” and “もうすぐ”
2. Difference 1
3. Difference 2
4. Difference 3
5. Let’s Compare
6. Summary
7. Quiz
8. Similar Articles
9. Comments

Q: What is the difference between “すぐ” and “もうすぐ”?

Both “すぐ” and “もうすぐ” express that something will happen soon, but they differ in terms of how soon it is, what time is being referred to, and whether the speaker is describing a situation or expressing intention.

1. The time until an event occurs

“すぐ” indicates that something will happen almost immediately.
“もうすぐ” refers to something that will happen a little later, but still in the near future.

[Examples]
準備じゅんびができたら、すぐ出発しゅっぱつします。
As soon as I am ready, I will leave immediately.
⇒ The time until departure is short.

もうすぐ出発しゅっぱつします。
I will leave soon.
⇒ The time until departure is longer than “すぐ”.

2. The reference point in time

“すぐ” uses the time of one event as the reference point and shows that the next action happens right after it.
“もうすぐ” uses “now” as the reference point and describes something that will happen soon.

[Examples]
準備じゅんびができたら、すぐ出発しゅっぱつします。
As soon as I am ready, I will leave immediately.
⇒ The reference is “when I am ready”.

もうすぐ出発しゅっぱつします。
I will leave soon.
⇒ The reference is “now,” indicating a near future.

3. Expressing intention or describing a state

“すぐ” expresses the speaker’s intention or decision to take action.
“もうすぐ” describes the current state or situation.

[Examples]
準備じゅんびができたら、すぐ出発しゅっぱつします。
As soon as I am ready, I will leave immediately.
⇒ It expresses the speaker’s intention.

もうすぐ出発しゅっぱつします。
I will leave soon.
⇒  It expresses the speaker’s state.

Let’s Compare

Both “すぐ” and “もうすぐ” express that something will happen within a short period of time, but the nuance changes slightly depending on the situation.

Let’s look at the following examples to see the difference.

Which of the following sentences sounds more natural?

[Examples]
① すぐ雨あめが降ふります。

② もうすぐ雨あめが降ふります。

The correct answer is ②.
“もうすぐ” means “a little later from now,” referring to the near future.
Sentence ①, “すぐ雨あめが降ふります,” sounds unnatural because “すぐ” is usually used for actions controlled by the speaker, not for natural phenomena.

Let’s look at one more example.

[Examples]
① 電話でんわをもらったら、すぐ行いきます。

② 電話でんわをもらったら、もうすぐ行いきます。

The correct answer is ①.
“すぐ行いきます” expresses the speaker’s intention to act immediately after receiving the call.
Sentence ②, “もうすぐ行いきます,” is unnatural because “もうすぐ” refers to something that will happen a little later from the present moment.
When used with the conditional form “〜たら (when/after),” it means “after receiving the call, I will go a little later,” which doesn’t match the intended nuance.
In this sentence, it is more natural to use “すぐ” to show that the action will happen immediately after the call.

Summary

[すぐ]

• Indicates that something happens almost immediately after another event.
• Expresses the speaker’s intention.
• The reference point for time can be something other than “now.”

[もうすぐ]

• Indicates that there is a somewhat short period of time before something happens, but points to a slightly more distant future than “すぐ.”
• Represents the speaker’s state.
• The reference point for time is “now.” It is used when a specific time or plan has been decided.

Quiz

Read the following sentence and choose the expression that fits the context from the options provided in the parentheses.

Click on the question to check the answer.

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