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[JMDict](http://www.edrdg.org/jmdict/edict_doc.html) lists several words for
[already](http://tangorin.com/general/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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2017-05-06T19:33:31.667
47120
2017-05-22T09:08:11.513
2020-06-17T08:18:27.500
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question
usage adverbs word-usage pragmatics
Is there a universal (regardless of the context) way to say "already"?
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.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-05-22T02:48:46.520
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2017-05-22T09:08:11.513
2020-06-17T08:18:27.500
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answer