Pronunciation Trap: "もっとも (mottomo)"

In Japanese, many words share the exact same pronunciation "もっとも (mottomo)" but are written with different Kanji, changing the meaning entirely.

• もっとも (Level: N3): Translates to "most, extremely; (less common) indeed, quite right" and is used when This adverb is primarily used to mean "most" or "extremely," indicating the highest degree among a group. It precedes adjectives or adverbs. It can also be used as an expression of agreement, meaning "indeed" or "quite right," but this usage is less common in N3 contexts..
• 尤も (Level: N1): Maps to "indeed, quite right, natural, reasonable; (as conjunction) however, but then" and carries the nuance of 道理にかなっている、当然であるという肯定的な意味。また、接続詞として使う場合は「そうは言うものの」「もっともらしく」のように、前の内容を認めつつも、反対意見や補足をする際に用いられる。.

Mixing these up can easily result in unnatural writing. Look at the bilingual context cards below to master the conceptual boundaries!