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N5Lesson notes · Sep 30, 2026

Again in Japanese: また vs もう一度いちど, and when 再ふたたび belongs

Use また when something happens again or you will meet again, もう一度いちど when you want one more try of the same thing, and 再ふたたび when you are writing something formal or dramatic.

English has one word, "again," and it covers all of that. Japanese splits the job into three, and learners who pick the wrong one usually sound strange in a small but noticeable way. Asking a teacher また言いってください is not a disaster, but it is not what a native speaker would say either. Here is how the three words actually divide up the work.

The basics

What does また mean?

また means "again" in the sense of "another time, a repeat, or the next occasion." It looks forward and backward at once: it can point to something that keeps happening, or to the next time you will meet.

また明日あした。 — See you tomorrow. (casual to polite, literally "again tomorrow") また来きます。 — I'll come again. (polite, a promise to return) また雨あめですね。 — It's raining again, isn't it. (polite, small talk about the weather)

Notice that none of these ask anyone to do anything. また is about the world repeating itself, not about a request.

What does もう一度いちど mean?

もう一度いちど means "one more time" — the same action, once more, usually because the first try did not work. The word 一度いちど is "one time," and もう adds "another." You will mostly use it when you ask someone for something.

もう一度いちど言いってください。 — Please say it one more time. (polite request, the classic classroom sentence) もう一度いちどやってみます。 — I'll try it once more. (polite, after a failed attempt)

The word for "one time" also has a slightly softer everyday cousin, もう一回いっかい. They mean nearly the same thing; 一回いっかい is a bit more casual and 一度いちど a bit more polite. If you want the full toolkit for asking someone to repeat themselves, see our guide to asking someone to repeat in Japanese.

What does 再ふたたび mean?

再ふたたび (ふたたび) means "once again," and it belongs to writing and formal speech. You will meet it in novels, news, speeches, and dramatic moments, not in everyday small talk.

彼かれは再ふたたび立ち上たちあがった。 — He stood up once again. (written, narrative, a little dramatic) 再ふたたび皆みなさまにお会あいできて光栄こうえいです。 — It is an honor to see you all again. (very formal, a speech)

You could technically say 再ふたたび in a chat with friends, but it would sound like you were reading from a script. That effect is exactly why fiction and anime love it.

How do the three compare at a glance?

Word Core meaning Typical situation Feel
また again, next time repeats, goodbyes, promises everyday, any level
もう一度いちど one more time asking or trying again polite, neutral
もう一回いっかい one more time asking or trying again more casual
再ふたたび once again writing, speeches, drama formal, literary

Beyond the basics

Why does また来きます mean "I'll be back," but もう一度いちど来きます sounds like a redo?

また carries the idea of a future meeting, and もう一度いちど does not. This is the biggest trap. Compare these two:

また来きます。 — I'll come again. (polite, a natural promise to return) もう一度いちど来きます。 — I'll come one more time. (polite, implies a final extra visit or a redo)

The second sentence sounds like you are going to make one more attempt, perhaps because the first visit failed or was cut short. Say it to a shop owner and they will wonder what went wrong last time. When the point is simply "I'll be back sometime," また is the word.

The same logic gives us the most common goodbye phrases, all built on また: またね, また今度こんど, また明日あした. If you want the whole set and when each one fits, read how to say goodbye in Japanese.

How can また express annoyance?

Say また about something bad and it becomes "not again." In English, we do this with stress and a sigh. In Japanese, また does it by itself, especially with a past-tense verb.

また遅刻ちこくしたの? — You were late again? (casual, disappointed or irritated) またかよ。 — Seriously, again? (rough and casual, the sound of an eye-roll) また同おなじミスをしてしまった。 — I made the same mistake again. (neutral, a little regretful)

You will hear またかよ all the time in anime: a character sees the same trouble arrive one more time and reacts with exactly this. The よ at the end makes it rougher and more spoken. In a polite setting, you would soften it to またですか.

もう一度いちど does not do this. It never carries annoyance on its own, because it is about a deliberate retry, not something happening to you.

Can もう一度いちど ever be a request without a request verb?

Yes, in casual speech people cut it down to just もう一回いっかい, or もう一回いっかいお願ねがい. Once the context is clear, the "please say" part can disappear.

もう一回いっかい! — One more time! (casual, to a friend, pushing for a retry in a game) すみません、もう一度いちどお願ねがいします。 — Sorry, one more time please. (polite, replaces もう一度いちど言いってください)

The version with お願ねがいします is very common in customer-facing Japanese, because it asks for the repetition without spelling out the verb. This is a handy shortcut to memorize early.

Where does 再ふたたび fit in ordinary life?

In ordinary life, mostly as something you read rather than say. Announcements, news summaries, and stories use it when they want a slightly weighty "once again."

列車れっしゃは再ふたたび走はしり出だした。 — The train started moving again. (written, news or novel style) 再ふたたびお会あいできる日ひを楽たのしみにしております。 — I look forward to the day we meet again. (very formal, the kind of line that closes a letter)

If your goal is speaking naturally, you can wait on 再ふたたび. If your goal is reading novels or understanding dramatic anime scenes, you need to recognize it. In anime, it often appears in villain speeches, opening narration, and "the story continues" moments, exactly because it sounds larger than life.

What about あらためて?

Sometimes you will hear あらためて, which means "anew" or "properly, from the start." It sits close to 再ふたたび in tone but works more like "let me do this again the right way."

あらためて説明せつめいします。 — I'll explain it again properly. (polite, business-like)

You do not need this on day one, but it explains why some Japanese sentences that translate as "again" use none of our three words.

Common mistakes

  • Using また to ask for repetition. また言いってください sounds like "please say it again, another time later" or like you are asking the speaker to keep repeating the same thing. For "say that once more," use もう一度いちど言いってください.
  • Using もう一度いちど as a plain goodbye. もう一度いちど会あいましょう means "let's meet one more time" (for instance after a meeting that did not go as planned), so it is not the everyday way to say "see you again." For a normal goodbye, また会あいましょう or just またね is what people say.
  • Saying 再ふたたび in casual conversation. It works grammatically, but it puts a novel-narrator voice in your mouth. Reach for また instead.
  • Forgetting the annoyed reading of また. If a friend says またですか or またかよ, they are not asking for a repeat. They are telling you they have had enough.
  • Mixing up また and もう. もう on its own usually means "already" or "anymore," not "again." Our article on もう and まだ sorts that pair out, and it pairs well with this one.

Practice

Build each answer before opening it. Questions 3 and 4 are a pair: same idea in English, different Japanese depending on what you want.

1. You leave a café and want to tell the staff you'll return someday. Which word fits: また来きます or もう一度いちど来きます?

Show answer

また来きます — また points to a future occasion. もう一度いちど来きます suggests one extra attempt or a redo, which is not what you mean.

2. You did not catch what the teacher said. Ask for it one more time, politely.

Show answer

もう一度いちど言いってください — もう一度いちど asks for the same thing once more. The request form てください makes it polite.

3. A friend is late for the third time this week. Say "You were late again?" with a bit of irritation.

Show answer

また遅刻ちこくしたの — また attached to a bad event adds "not again." The sentence ending の keeps it casual.

4. In a game, you failed a jump and want to try it once more. Which word fits: また or もう一回いっかい?

Show answer

もう一回いっかい — you are asking for a deliberate retry of the same thing. That is もう一度いちど or its casual form もう一回いっかい, not また.

5. You are writing a story and the hero gets up after being knocked down. Which word gives the dramatic "once again" feel?

Show answer

再ふたたび — 彼かれは再ふたたび立ち上たちあがった. 再ふたたび is literary and formal, so it suits narration.

6. What is the difference between また来きます and もう一度いちど来きます?

Show answer

また来きます is a promise to return sometime; もう一度いちど来きます means one more visit, like a redo. The first is normal politeness, the second signals something went wrong before.

7. A character in anime sighs and says またかよ. What is the mood?

Show answer

Annoyed and tired — "seriously, not again?" また about an unwelcome repeat, plus the casual よ, gives the eye-roll.

8. How do you politely ask someone to repeat something without saying 言いってください?

Show answer

もう一度いちどお願ねがいします — the verb is left out because the context makes the request clear. This is very common in shops and on the phone.

9. Which of the three words would you not normally say aloud to a classmate?

Show answer

再ふたたび — it is written or formal, so said aloud among friends it sounds like reading from a script.

10. Someone says またね as you part. Is this asking for a repeat?

Show answer

No — it means "see you later." また here is about the next meeting, not a redo, so no one is asking you to say anything again.

Swapping また and もう一度いちど is a common beginner habit, so in a trial lesson act out two short scenes, asking someone to say something again and saying goodbye to a friend, and let each scene pick the word.

FAQ

Is また the same as もう一度いちど? No. また is about something repeating or a future meeting. もう一度いちど is about doing one specific thing one more time, usually on purpose. They overlap in English but not in Japanese.

Can I say もう一回いっかい instead of もう一度いちど? Yes, in nearly all cases. もう一回いっかい is a little more casual, and もう一度いちど is a little more polite. Both are fine in class or a shop, but もう一回いっかい is what friends say.

Does 再ふたたび sound rude? No, it sounds formal and literary. It is not rude, but in everyday chat it feels stiff or theatrical.

How do I say "again" after a verb, like "try again"? Use もう一度いちど before the verb: もう一度いちどやってみます, "I'll try again." For "again" meaning the thing repeated on its own, また goes before the verb: また失敗しっぱいした, "I failed again."

Is またね the same as また明日あした? Both are goodbyes built on また. またね is "see you," open-ended, and また明日あした is "see you tomorrow," with a specific day. Both are casual to neutral.

Why do anime characters say またか so often? It compresses a whole complaint into three beats: "this again?" Anime is full of repeated trouble, so またか and またかよ show up constantly as a reaction line.

Vocabulary from this article

Tap the block to select all of it, then copy. In Anki: File → Import, note type Basic, separator Tab — the first column becomes the front, the second the back.

また	また — again, next time
もう一度	もういちど — one more time (polite)
もう一回	もういっかい — one more time (casual)
再び	ふたたび — once again (formal, written)
明日	あした — tomorrow
来る	くる — to come
遅刻する	ちこくする — to be late
言う	いう — to say
お願いします	おねがいします — please (a request)
立ち上がる	たちあがる — to stand up
あらためて	あらためて — anew, properly from the start

I'm Yuuki, a Japanese teacher based in Tokyo. I've taught on italki as a Top 1% teacher and watched over 1,500 anime, so most of the example sentences on this blog come from lines I've actually heard students ask about — including this one, where また and もう一度いちど get swapped in nearly every beginner's first few weeks. For practice with feedback, Book a trial lesson · $13, or work through Japanese practice exercises first.

Sources: the author's own lessons and standard reference grammars.

More drills like the ones above, plus a timed JLPT-style mock test: Practice · N5 · Read something at this level: JLPT N5 stories with audio

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