What does そもそも mean?
そもそも is a Japanese adverb meaning “in the first place” or “to begin with” in English. 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、なぜこの仕事を選んだの？
Why did you choose this job in the first place?
そもそもお金がないから、旅行は無理だ。
I don't have any money to begin with, so travelling is out of the question.