“sorosoro・mō sugu”: About Time To 〜 / Soon (the time is near) [JLPT N4]

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

Adverbs for a moment in time drawing near

「そろそろ帰ろう」 vs 「もうすぐ着く」 — one nudges you to act, one says something's about to happen

「遅くなったね、そろそろ帰ろう」 (it's late, about time we headed home) vs 「電車はもうすぐ着く」 (the train will arrive soon) — both adverbs relate to “time drawing near,” but with different emphasis: そろそろ = about time (I／we) act (nudging yourself or others to do something); もうすぐ = soon, before long (it happens) (objectively stating something's about to occur). This guide sorts this super-useful pair by “time I act vs time something happens.”

📌 Usage Overview

💬 Example Sentences

• 遅くなったね、そろそろ帰ろうか。(It's late — about time to head home?) — time to act
• そろそろ会議を始めましょう。(About time to start the meeting.) — time to begin
• あと5分で、もうすぐ映画が始まる。(In 5 minutes the movie's about to start.) — about to happen
• 電車はもうすぐ到着します。(The train will arrive soon.) — event approaching
• 長居しました、そろそろ失礼します。(I've stayed long — about time I got going.) — leaving courtesy

💬 More Examples (Everyday Contexts)

• 涼しくなってきたし、そろそろエアコンを切ろうか。(It's gotten cooler — about time we turned off the AC?) — action, with a reason
• 日が長くなってきましたね、そろそろ夏ですね。(The days have gotten longer, huh — summer's nearly here.) — gradual change
• 妻のお腹が大きくなってきて、赤ちゃんがもうすぐ生まれます。(My wife's belly has gradually gotten bigger — the baby will be born very soon.) — a big life event approaching

🔄 Compare with similar forms: そろそろ vs もうすぐ vs まもなく vs そのうち

🔍 Going Deeper: そろそろ Can Also Describe a Gradual, Natural Change

そろそろ isn't only about nudging yourself into action — it also commonly pairs with 〜てきた to describe a gradual, naturally unfolding change, especially of season, weather, or the passing of time: 「日が短くなって、そろそろ冬ですね」 (the days have gotten shorter — winter's nearly here), 「そろそろ紅葉の季節です」 (it's nearly the season for autumn leaves). Here そろそろ isn't telling anyone to do something — it's more like “little by little, it's getting to be…”, sitting somewhere between だんだん (“gradually”) and もうすぐ (“soon”): it emphasizes that the change is already underway, just short of complete. This doesn't contradict the “Common Mistakes” note that そろそろ can't attach to a purely objective event — a movie starting or a train arriving are single, instantaneous events, so only もうすぐ works there; a season turning or daylight fading is a gradual, cumulative process, which is where そろそろ belongs. The test: ask yourself “does this happen in one instant, or is it changing bit by bit?”

⚠️ Common Mistakes

1. Don't swap them: time for you to act → そろそろ (そろそろ帰ろう); an event about to happen → もうすぐ (もうすぐ着く).
2. そろそろ isn't for a pure event: ✗そろそろ映画が始まる → もうすぐ; そろそろ usually goes with “I/we should…”.
3. Not the past: ✗そろそろ昨日帰った → it means “about time now,” not a past fact.
4. They're adverbs: no を/だ.

⚠️ Mistakes Common Among Chinese- and Indonesian-Speaking Learners

1. Chinese “快要” covers both, so learners blend them: Chinese 快要 covers both そろそろ and もうすぐ, so learners sometimes slap そろそろ onto a purely natural phenomenon too, e.g. wanting to say “it's about to rain” and writing ✗そろそろ雨が降る — it should be もうすぐ雨が降る (rain is a pure natural event with no sense of “something I should do”); そろそろ is reserved for situations that feel like “it's time for me/us to act,” as in そろそろ出発する (“about time to set off”). Test: ask whether the Chinese 快要 in your sentence describes the event itself or an action you should take.
2. Indonesian speakers tend to place the adverb at the end: Indonesian time adverbs (like sebentar lagi) often follow the verb, which leads learners to write ✗「帰ろう、そろそろ。」 or ✗「映画が始まる、もうすぐ。」 In Japanese, そろそろ／もうすぐ normally sit directly before the predicate: そろそろ帰ろう, もうすぐ映画が始まる.

💡 An exam judgment tip

For 「そろそろ vs もうすぐ」, one image separates them: そろそろ = “about time (I／we) get moving” (そろそろ帰ろう, そろそろ始めましょう — nudging action); もうすぐ = “(something) is about to happen” (もうすぐ着く, もうすぐ春だ — objectively imminent). English “soon／about to” doesn't split these, which is why they blur. In practice: to gently propose “time to go, time to start,” use そろそろ (a very Japanese soft nudge); for objective facts like “the train's arriving, the movie's starting,” use もうすぐ. Grasp “nudge to act vs about to happen” and you won't misuse them.

❓ Quick FAQ

Q: How do I pick 「そろそろ」 vs 「もうすぐ」?

By whether it's “time to take action” or “something's naturally about to happen”: to nudge yourself/others to move (time to go, start, sleep) → そろそろ (そろそろ寝よう = about time to sleep); for an objective imminent event (arriving, raining, New Year) → もうすぐ (もうすぐ駅に着く = arriving soon). One carries “intent to act,” the other is “objectively imminent.”

Q: Why does 「そろそろ」 sound so indirect?

Because it's a gentle nudge “it's about time to ~” — rather than bluntly “let's go!”, you say 「そろそろ…」 (about time we headed off), phrasing the suggestion softly and leaving room — very Japanese indirectness. To wind down a dinner or wrap up a meeting, a 「そろそろ…」 gets the message across far more tactfully than a blunt “let's end.”

🖊️ Practice Questions (5)

Q1. 「遅くなった。___帰ろうか。」(it's about time to head back)

(A) そろそろ　(B) もうすぐ　(C) わざと　(D) たまに

Q2. 「あと5分で___映画が始まる。」(the movie is about to start)

(A) もうすぐ　(B) そろそろ　(C) わざわざ　(D) 別に

Q3. 「そろそろ始めましょう」の語感は?

(A) About time to begin (the timing to act)

(B) Absolutely won't begin

(C) Already ended

(D) Occasionally begins

Q4. 「そろそろ」と「もうすぐ」の違いとして正しいのは?

(A) そろそろ = about time to do something; もうすぐ = something is about to happen

(B) The two are exactly the same

(C) そろそろ indicates the past

(D) もうすぐ indicates a command

Q5. 「そろそろ」が最も自然なのは?

(A) そろそろ失礼します。　(B) もうすぐ失礼そろそろ。

(C) そろそろ去年のこと。　(D) そろそろ昨日帰った。

Answer Explanations

1. (A) そろそろ ── about time to head back (time to act).

2. (A) もうすぐ ── the movie is about to start (time approaching).

3. (A) ── about time to begin (the timing).

4. (A) ── そろそろ is time to act; もうすぐ is about to happen.

5. (A) ── 「そろそろ失礼します」 (about time to take my leave) is the most natural.