まして

• Reading: まして
• Romaji: mashite
• Pronunciation: /ma.ɕi.te/

Meaning

Still more; to say nothing of; not to mention; let alone. Used to emphasise that something is even more true.

An adverb/conjunction used to strengthen a statement by adding a more extreme case. Often appears in the pattern AはBだ。まして〜は/なら、なおさらだ (A is B; all the more so for ~). Can also appear as ましてや for stronger emphasis. Implies that if the lesser case is already true, the greater case is obviously true too.

Examples

1. 大人でも難しい問題だ。まして子供には解けないだろう。 It's a difficult problem even for adults. Children certainly won't be able to solve it.
2. 日本語の読み書きは大変だ。ましてや古文となるとさらに難しい。 Reading and writing Japanese is hard enough. Classical Japanese is even harder.
3. 普段でも混んでいる。まして連休中はもっとひどい。 It's crowded even on normal days. It's even worse during long weekends.

Usage Guide

Context: writing, speeches, argumentation

Tone: emphatic

Origin & History

From the classical Japanese verb 増す (masu, to increase). The て-form まして expresses 'even more so' — building on an already established point to a stronger one.

Cultural Context

Era: Classical origin

Generation: All ages

Social background: Educated