また / さらに / その上: How to Say "Furthermore" and "On Top of That" in Japanese

To say "furthermore" in Japanese, use また for parallel "also/moreover," さらに for climactic "even more," or その上 for emphatic "on top of that." It piles one more thing onto a situation.¹²³ All three belong to the 添加 (tenka, "addition") class of conjunctions. Choosing the right one tells a reader whether you are listing, escalating, or heaping.⁴

Overview

A 接続詞 ("conjunction") shows the logical relation between a preceding phrase or sentence and the one that follows: 「前の語句・文」と「後ろの語句・文」の論理関係を示す言葉.⁴ The 添加 group covers conjunctions whose relation is adding another item, rather than ordering events in time.⁴

The family treated together in this addition class is また・さらに・そのうえ・しかも・それも.⁴ This article focuses on the first three, which learners often meet in essays, formal speech, and business writing.

The three at a glance

The split is easiest to remember as three jobs: また sets items side by side, さらに steps up from what came before, and その上 stacks an emphatic extra onto the situation.¹²³

Word	Core sense	Typical English	Register
また	parallel / enumerate; add another matter1	also, moreover, as well	neutral (speech and writing)
さらに	the same thing added or piled; or the degree increases2	furthermore, even more	written / formal, structured speech5
その上	the preceding matter plus a further added thing3	on top of that, besides	conversational to semiformal

Register labels are mostly inferred, not quoted

Only さらに carries an explicit label in the sources, where it is called 書きことば / 固い表現 ("written / firm language").⁵ The "neutral" tag for また and the "conversational" tag for その上 are inferred from the register of their example sentences, not stated as rules.¹³⁵ Treat them as tendencies.

Where these sit among connectives

These three add: they pile another item onto what precedes or escalate it.⁴ That sets them apart from the sequencing connectors そして / それで / それから, which order events and results in time rather than heap items together.

It helps to know the addition class as a group because the same logical move, "here is one more thing," can carry different force. また is the flat list, さらに the upward step, and その上 the emphatic stack.⁴²³

Form and placement

また: connector and adverb positions

In the dictionary, また belongs to more than one word class. It has 副詞 (adverb) senses and 接続詞 (conjunction) senses, plus a 接頭詞 (prefix) use seen in words like 「また聞き」 ("hearsay") and 「また貸し」 ("subletting").¹ As a conjunction, it heads or joins clauses for parallel, enumerative addition.¹

The additive また often pairs with も to build a parallel list, as in the dictionary's example of listing languages.

彼かれは、英語えいごもドイツ語ごも、またフランス語ごも話はなせる。¹
"He can speak English, German, and also French."

The same conjunction joins two equal descriptions of one subject.

医者いしゃであり、また文学者ぶんがくしゃでもある。¹
"He is a doctor, and also a man of letters."

また also has a non-additive "or / either" sense

The dictionary records a separate conjunction sense where また marks free choice among listed options: 「行ってもいいし、また行かなくてもいい」 ("you may go, or you may also not go").¹ That is the "or / either" reading and falls outside the additive scope here. In short, また is not always additive, so read the surrounding clause before assuming "also."

さらに / 更に: kanji and adverbial reach

さらに is classed as a 副詞 (adverb).² Its additive sense also works as a connective. A second, purely adverbial sense intensifies degree: 今までよりも程度が増すさま。前にも増して。いっそう。 ("a manner of the degree increasing beyond before; even more, increasingly").² That degree sense gives さらに its climbing feel.

事態じたいは更さらに悪わるくなった。²
"The situation got even worse."

The same word works as a sentence-opening addition.

更さらに一年いちねんの月日つきひが過すぎた。²
"A further year went by."

One writing convention is worth knowing. The 内閣訓令『公用文における漢字使用等について』 directs that in official documents (公用文) the adverb be written in kanji as 更に and the conjunction in kana as さらに.⁶ The quoted 文部省用字用語例 gives the adverb as 「更に　更に検討することとする」 and the conjunction as 「さらに　さらに、　・・・・・」.⁶

The 更に / さらに split is a 公用文 rule, not a universal one

General writing tolerates either spelling.⁶ The part-of-speech split, kanji 更に for the adverb and kana さらに for the conjunction, is enforced specifically in 公用文 (official government writing) by the 内閣訓令.⁶ Outside that setting, you will see both forms.

その上 / そのうえ: built from その + 上

その上 is built from その ("that") plus 上 ("on top of"): "on top of that." The dictionary treats そのうえ as a single 接続詞 entry meaning the preceding matter plus a further added thing: 前の事柄を受けて、それにさらにある事が付け加わることを表す.³

守備しゅびはいいし、その上うえ足あしも速はやい。³
"His fielding is good, and on top of that he is fast."

その上 has a placement restriction that the other two do not. It does not comfortably take a volitional, request, or command predicate after it: 「その上」の場合は、あまり意志・依頼・命令等の表現は来ないようです.⁵ A sentence like 「その上、ワークブックもやってきてください」 is marked as awkward in the source.⁵

Nuance and usage contexts

This is where you actually choose among them. The tests below separate the three by the kind of relation each one draws between the clauses it joins.

また: equal-value, reversible addition

また adds an item of comparable standing to what came before. The source frames it as adding 同程度のこと ("something of equal degree"). It also notes that また can even add 全く違うこと ("something completely different"): トピックについて、同程度のことを追加して話す。反対に、全く違うことを追加して話すというときに使われるようですね。⁴

Because the items carry equal weight, their order is flexible. In the dictionary's language example, English, German, and French can be reordered without breaking the logic. Nothing escalates from one to the next.¹ The added clause sits beside the first, not above it.

秋あきはまた収穫しゅうかくの季節きせつでもある。¹
"Autumn is also the season of the harvest."

さらに: climactic, non-reversible escalation

さらに ties its added item to what precedes. The source notes it is used 前件で述べたことに関係することを追加して話すときに ("when adding something related to what the first clause stated"), in contrast to また, which can add unrelated material.⁴ The escalation reading rests on the degree sense, 程度が増す ("the degree increases").²

That relatedness shows in how さらに appears in ordered enumeration, such as the chain はじめに、次に、さらに ("first, next, furthermore").⁵ Each step builds on the last, so swapping the order works against the word's job. No quoted rule blocks reversal; it simply undercuts the upward, ordered movement that makes さらに the right choice.

さらに給与きゅうよが上あがり、とても助たすかります。⁷
"My salary has gone up even more, and that is very helpful."

その上: emphatic piling, the "and worse" tilt

With その上, the second clause is often emphasized: 後件の内容が強調されることが多い.⁵ The addition class describes the same shape as a step up in degree: 前件だけでもそれなりの程度のことですが、後件にはそれよりももっと程度が高いことが続く ("the first clause is already significant, but the second carries something of an even higher degree").⁴

That heaping often lands on something unwelcome, giving その上 its "and worse" feel.

道みちに迷まよってしまった。その上うえ、運うんの悪わるいことに、雨あめも降ふり出だした。⁵
"I got lost. On top of that, as bad luck would have it, it even started to rain."

The "and worse" tilt is a tendency, not a built-in meaning. その上 can pile up good things just as readily.

昨日きのう、山田やまださんにご飯はんをご馳走ちそうしてもらった。その上うえ、お土産みやげまでいただいてしまった。⁵
"Yesterday Yamada-san treated me to a meal. On top of that, I even came away with a souvenir."

The dictionary's example is plainly positive, describing a person who is both good at fielding and fast.³ Read その上 as "one more notable thing on top," with the direction (welcome or unwelcome) set by context.

Register and medium

The clearest sourced label is for さらに, which is characterized as 書きことば / 固い表現 ("written / firm language"). It also turns up in structured enumeration like はじめに、次に、さらに.⁵ In relaxed conversation, it reads as essay-like or formal.

また's dictionary examples span everyday speech and formal listing, supporting a neutral placement across both mediums.¹ その上's examples are everyday narrative rather than academic prose, which puts it in the conversational-to-semiformal range.³⁵ If the broader plain / polite axis is still hazy, settle that first. It governs the register these connectors slot into.

Mapped to English, また covers a flat "also / moreover," さらに the climbing "furthermore / even more," and その上 the emphatic "on top of that / besides."¹²³

Good to know

また also means "again," not just "also"

Beyond its additive job, また also has a repetition sense as an adverb: 前にあったことがもう一度繰り返されるさま。ふたたび ("a manner of something happening once more; again").¹ This is the また of またね ("see you again"), また来ます ("I will come again"), and また明日 ("see you tomorrow"). It is distinct from the additive conjunction.¹⁸

明日あしたまた来きます。¹
"I will come again tomorrow."

Position and context disambiguate the two. When また sits close to a verb of motion or recurrence, it reads as "again." When it stands at the head of a clause as a connector, often with a comma, it reads as "also / furthermore." The more literary word for "again" is 再び (ふたたび), glossed as 同じ動作や状態を繰り返すこと ("repeating the same action or state").⁹ It is the formal partner to spoken また-as-"again."

再ふたたび過あやまちを犯おかす。⁹
"To make the same mistake again."

Don't put a request or command after その上

その上 expects a declarative, often emphatic, addition. A volitional, request, or command predicate does not comfortably follow it: 「その上」の場合は、あまり意志・依頼・命令等の表現は来ないようです.⁵ A sentence such as その上、ワークブックもやってきてください ("on top of that, please also do the workbook") is marked awkward in the source.⁵ Add a declarative statement instead, as in the fielding example above.³

更に before a negative means "not at all," not "furthermore"

With a following negative, さらに / 更に flips to an intensifier sense, いっこうに。まったく。少しも ("not in the slightest"), which is not additive.² The phrase 更に覚えがない does not mean "furthermore, I remember." It means "I have no recollection whatsoever."² When a negative follows さらに, read it as "not at all," not "in addition."

さらに reads as formal in casual speech

さらに is flagged as written, firm language (書きことば / 固い表現).⁵ In relaxed conversation, また or その上 is the more natural way to add a point. Reaching for さらに makes the sentence sound essay-like or formal.⁵ Match the word to the setting.

その上 means "on top of that," literally

The compound is その ("that") plus 上 ("top / above").³ Keep the spatial image of stacking in mind. It makes both the "piling one more thing on top" nuance and the emphasis on the second clause intuitive: the new item lands on top of the situation already described.³⁵

また the swappable list, さらに the one-way climb

A compact way to keep また and さらに apart: また adds equal-value items (同程度のこと), so they sit side by side and could be swapped. さらに adds something 前件で述べたことに関係する ("related to the first clause") and often of higher degree (程度が増す), so it reads as a step up rather than a swap.⁴²

Neighbors worth not confusing

Two more additives, しかも and それに, sit in this same addition space and compound reasons or features. They are treated in their own article. そして also links clauses, but it adds by sequencing events rather than by piling or escalating, so it belongs with the narrative connectors, not this trio.

See also

• Japanese Conjunctions Overview: Clause-Linkers (接続助詞) vs. Sentence-Connectors (接続詞)
• そして / それで / それから: Narrative, Result, and Sequence in Japanese
• しかも / それに: How to Say "On Top of That" and "What's More" in Japanese (Compounding Additives)
• つまり / すなわち / 要するに: How to Say "In Other Words" in Japanese (Restatement and Summary)
• Polite vs. Plain Japanese: です/ます vs. だ (丁寧体・普通体)

References

Footnotes

1. 小学館『デジタル大辞泉』「又（また）」. Via コトバンク (Kotobank). https://kotobank.jp/word/%E5%8F%88-634425 ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶

2. 小学館『デジタル大辞泉』「更に（さらに）」. Via コトバンク (Kotobank). https://kotobank.jp/word/%E6%9B%B4%E3%81%AB-512327 ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³

3. 小学館『デジタル大辞泉』「その上（そのうえ）」. Via Weblio 辞書. https://www.weblio.jp/content/%E3%81%9D%E3%81%AE%E4%B8%8A ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³

4. コトハジメ「中級文法コラム４．接続詞（添加）」. https://cotohajime.net/2021/03/08/conjunction-addition/ (limitation: native-teacher resource, not academic) ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰

5. 日本語・応用言語学研究室「『それに』『さらに』『その上』の違いについて」. https://www.nihongo-appliedlinguistics.net/wp/archives/5318 (limitation: applied-linguistics blog by language teachers, not peer-reviewed) ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶

6. 国語力アップ.com「『さらに』と『更に』の違い・使い分け、公用文で正しいのは？」(quoting 内閣訓令『公用文における漢字使用等について』and 文部省『文部省用字用語例』). https://kokugoryokuup.com/sarani-difference/ (limitation: usage blog; cited for the kanji/kana rule it quotes from the 内閣訓令) ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

7. Bunpro「更に (JLPT N2)」. https://bunpro.jp/grammar_points/%E3%81%95%E3%82%89%E3%81%AB (limitation: learner reference site; cited for JLPT band and verified example sentences) ↩

8. 小学館『デジタル大辞泉』「また」. Via Weblio 辞書. https://www.weblio.jp/content/%E3%81%BE%E3%81%9F ↩

9. 小学館『デジタル大辞泉』「再び（ふたたび）」. Via コトバンク (Kotobank). https://kotobank.jp/word/%E5%86%8D%E3%81%B3-618767 ↩ ↩²