What does そもそも mean?
そもそも is a Japanese adverb meaning “in the first place; to begin with; from the start; originally” in English. It can also be translated as “after all” depending on context. It is written as そもそも in hiragana, and somosomo in romaji. This word is part of JLPT N3 vocabulary.
Example sentences
そもそもなぜ鳥は移動するのだろうか。
Why do birds migrate in the first place?
そもそも事故の大半は熱帯雨林ではなく、身近な場所でおこるのである。
Most accidents, after all, happen around the corner, not in the rainforest.