“〜morotomo”: Together With / Along With (all of it, often in dire scenes) [JLPT N1]

Content by NTJ Kuma · Nihongo to Japan editorial team · Updated July 27, 2026

Taking everything related down or away together

「船もろとも海に沈んだ」 — ship and all, dragged into ruin together

News writes 「船もろとも海に沈んだ」 (sank into the sea, ship and all) — 「〜もろとも」 = together with ～／～ and all (dragged into one violent, destructive fate together). It's a written word with a tragic tone, almost never used in everyday speech. This guide clarifies its core feel of “negative, violent ＋ shared fate,” its register (news, fiction, historical narrative), and separating it from the neutral 「と一緒に」 and the whole-inclusive 「ぐるみ.」

Core: together with ～, dragged into one (violent, destructive) fate

「noun ＋ もろとも」 means “together with ～／～ and all” — dragging the related people or things into one (usually violent, destructive) fate together:

• 建物は、住民もろとも崩れ落ちた (the building collapsed, residents and all).
• 爆弾で、敵もろとも自らも吹き飛んだ (with the bomb, he was blown up, enemy and himself alike).
• 積荷もろとも、船は沈んでいった (cargo and all, the ship went down).

Feel: its core is “A (together with) B, meeting the same fate together,” and that fate is almost always negative, violent, tragic (collapse, sinking, explosion, falling, burning). It carries a strong literary, dramatic tone, used to heighten the tragedy of disasters, accidents, do-or-die scenes. In English: “together with ～／～ and all／～ and everything.”

Forms & attachment

See it in context

• 車は、乗員もろとも崖から転落した。(The car fell off the cliff, occupants and all.)
• 火は、家財もろともすべてを焼き尽くした。(The fire burned everything, household goods and all.)
• 彼は、秘密もろともその事実を墓場まで持っていった。(He took the fact to his grave, secret and all.)
• 敵艦を、乗組員もろとも撃沈した。(They sank the enemy ship, crew and all.)
• 憎しみもろとも、過去をすべて捨て去りたい。(I want to cast off the whole past, hatred and all.)

⚠️ Common mistakes to avoid

① The core is a ‘negative, violent, tragic' shared fate, not for positive or everyday use. This is 「もろとも」's most crucial, most easily misused point. It's used almost only for negative, violent, destructive scenes — collapse, sinking, explosion, falling, burning, do-or-die. It carries a strong tragic, dramatic tone, a word for heightening disaster, accident, sacrifice. It must never be used in positive or neutral everyday settings: for celebration, dining together, going along — neutral or festive things — use 「と一緒に,」 not 「もろとも.」 「友達もろとも食事に行く (×)」 is a jarring error (making a small everyday thing sound like a tragedy) — correct is 「友達と一緒に食事に行く.」 Test: only when the scene is “heavy” enough (destruction, sacrifice, resolve, disaster) use 「もろとも」; everyday, positive, neutral → always 「と一緒に.」

② ⭐Register: appears almost only in written language, news, fiction, historical narrative — rarely in speech. This is an important reminder when choosing words. 「もろとも」 is a highly written, literary word, appearing almost only in news reports, fiction, historical narrative, war chronicles, to heighten the tragedy. In everyday speech, almost no one says 「〜もろとも」 — for “with a friend” people just say 「友達と一緒に,」 for “the whole family together” 「家族みんなで,」 never 「もろとも.」 So on seeing 「もろとも,」 it's mostly in news, fiction, or formal narrative; to use it yourself, first confirm the register is formal and the scene dramatic enough. This is also its biggest divide from the colloquial 「と一緒に.」

③ Separate it from 「ぐるみ」 — もろとも is ‘meeting a (violent) fate together,' ぐるみ is ‘the whole ～ included (all of it ～).' Both have a “whole, all” feel and are easily confused. 「〜もろとも」 = together with ～ (dragged into one violent, destructive fate; negative, written): 船もろとも沈む (sink, ship and all — meeting destruction together). It emphasizes “meeting a (usually bad) fate together.” 「〜ぐるみ」 = the whole ～, ～ and everything included (a whole scope is all involved, neutral): 家族ぐるみの付き合い (a whole-family friendship — the whole family involved), 町ぐるみで取り組む (the whole town tackling it together), 身ぐるみはがされる (stripped of everything on one). It emphasizes “a whole scope all included,” neutral, not necessarily negative. Difference: 「もろとも」 is “meeting a violent, destructive fate together” (negative, tragic, written); 「ぐるみ」 is “a whole scope all involved／included” (neutral, positive or negative). Test: to say “meeting a (destructive) fate together with ～” → もろとも; to say “the whole ～ is (involved, included)” → ぐるみ.

🔄 Compare: もろとも／と一緒に／ぐるみ／と共に

💡 Quick takeaway

「〜もろとも」 = together with ～／～ and all (dragged into one violent, destructive fate) — three points: ① the core is a “negative, violent, tragic” shared fate (collapse, sinking, explosion, falling), never for positive or everyday use; ②⭐its register is very narrow — appearing almost only in written language, news, fiction, historical narrative, while speech uses 「と一緒に」 for “together”; ③ separate it from 「ぐるみ (a whole scope all involved, neutral)」 — もろとも is “meeting a violent fate together.” This word is very “heavy” — 「船もろとも沈む」「敵もろとも自爆する」 conjure disaster, sacrifice, do-or-die the moment they're spoken. To heighten in fiction or news that tragic “destroyed, ～ and all” feel, 「もろとも」 is most vivid; but for any everyday, positive, neutral “together,” always use 「と一緒に」 — don't make a dinner sound like a tragedy.

❓ FAQ

Q: 「もろとも」 and 「と一緒に」 both mean ‘together' — are they interchangeable?

No — their feel and register are entirely different; they're almost never interchangeable. The difference is ‘the nature of the fate' and ‘register.' 「〜もろとも」 = together with ～ (dragged into a violent, destructive fate; negative, tragic, written): it's specifically for negative, violent, destructive scenes, with a strong tragic, dramatic tone, appearing almost only in written language, news, fiction: 家もろとも焼ける (burn, house and all), 敵もろとも倒す (bring down, enemy and all). It heightens disaster, sacrifice, do-or-die. 「〜と一緒に」 = together with ～ (neutral, colloquial, general): it's the most neutral, everyday, general “together,” for spoken and written alike, fit for any positive, neutral setting: 友達と一緒に映画を見る (watch a movie with a friend), 家族と一緒に旅行する (travel with family). Difference: 「もろとも」 negative, violent, tragic, written (meeting a destructive fate together); 「と一緒に」 neutral, everyday, general (a plain “with ～”). Test: only negative, violent, destructive, tragic scenes (mostly written) → もろとも; everyday, positive, neutral “together” → always と一緒に. So 「友達もろとも食事に行く」 is wrong (dining is an everyday positive thing, no もろとも) — correct is 「友達と一緒に食事に行く.」 Remember: もろとも = perishing together (written, tragic), と一緒に = together (everyday, neutral).

Q: What's the difference between 「もろとも」 and 「ぐるみ」? Both have a ‘whole, all' feel?

The difference is “meeting a violent fate together” vs “a whole scope all involved.” 「〜もろとも」 = together with ～ (dragged into one violent, destructive fate; negative, written): it emphasizes “A together with B, meeting the same (usually destructive, tragic) fate”: 船もろとも沈む (sink, ship and all), 建物もろとも崩れる (collapse, building and all). The point is “meeting a (violent, bad) fate together,” with a tragic tone. 「〜ぐるみ」 = the whole ～, ～ and all included (a whole scope all involved, neutral): it emphasizes “a whole scope (family, town, body, etc.) all included, all involved,” neutral, not necessarily negative: 家族ぐるみの付き合い (a whole-family friendship — the whole family involved), 町ぐるみの祭り (a whole-town festival), 地域ぐるみで子供を見守る (the whole area watching over children together), 身ぐるみはがされる (stripped of everything). The point is “a whole scope all involved／included,” positive or negative. Difference: 「もろとも」 is “meeting a violent, destructive fate together” (negative, tragic, written, stressing perishing together); 「ぐるみ」 is “a whole scope all involved／included” (neutral, stressing whole participation, no exception). Test: to say “meeting a (destructive) fate together with ～” (tragic) → もろとも; to say “the whole ～ (family／town／area) is (involved, participating)” (neutral) → ぐるみ. In short: もろとも = perishing together (violent, negative), ぐるみ = the whole scope counted in (neutral, all-inclusive).

🖊️ Practice Questions (5)

Q1. 「建物は住人___崩れ落ちた。」(Together with the residents)

(A) もろとも　(B) ながら　(C) どころか　(D) ばかりに

Q2. 「もろとも」が使われやすい場面は?

(A) Negative, intense (sinking, destruction, falling)

(B) Celebration

(C) Gratitude

(D) Everyday small talk

Q3. 「積み荷もろとも沈んだ」の意味は?

(A) Sank together with the cargo

(B) Only the ship sank

(C) Only the cargo sank

(D) Nothing sank

Q4. 「もろとも」と「と一緒に」の違いは?

(A) もろとも＝all meeting the same fate together (often negative);と一緒に＝neutral

(B) The two are exactly the same

(C) もろとも＝neutral

(D) と一緒に＝negative and intense

Q5. 接法が正しいのは?

(A) 車もろとも川に落ちた。　(B) 車をもろとも。

(C) 車だもろとも。　(D) 車もろともに友達と祝う(inappropriate for the situation)。

Answer Explanations

1. (A) もろとも ── Collapsed together with the residents.

2. (A) ── Negative, intense scenes.

3. (A) ── Sank together with the cargo.

4. (A) ── もろとも: all meeting the same fate together (often negative).

5. (A) ── 「車もろとも川に落ちた」 is correct.