なお
- 1Introduces supplementary information or an additional note after the main statement ('please note that…,' 'additionally…').Ex. 1
- 2Adds a related caution or condition that supplements an instruction or rule just given ('note that…').Ex. 2
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なお is formal and typical of business documents, announcements, notices, reports, and formal speech. It presents what follows as a supplementary note to the main content, such as logistics, conditions, restrictions, or supporting remarks, rather than as an escalating point. その上, しかも, and さらに stack further points that build on the preceding content, while もっとも adds a qualification.
Do not use なお when the added point should escalate an argument; なお frames it as a side note, whereas その上 or しかも intensify it.
Learners may sound stiff using なお in casual conversation, since it belongs to formal notices and business contexts.
Note that なお also works as an adverb meaning 'still' or 'even more' (e.g., なお良い), which is a different use.
- もっともN2「もっとも」is used after a judgment to add a premise, exception, or reservation, revising the previous sentence much like 'however.' It is register-neutral and the sentence often ends with 「が」or 「けど」; unlike 「なお」, which plainly adds information, the two generally cannot be interchanged.
- その上N2「その上」stacks evaluations or facts in the same direction, emphasizing 'not only that, but also'; it is common in both speech and writing and can also follow the て-form. 「なお」as a conjunction only adds supplementary remarks in a plain way and is written-style, so the two should not be interchanged.
- に加えてN3「に加えて」attaches after nouns, verbs, and the like to add more of the same kind, with the following clause often using 「も」; 「なお」opens a sentence to add supplementary remarks or cautions with a looser link to the preceding text. The two generally cannot be interchanged.
- さらにN3「さらに」as a conjunction adds more items of the same kind with a progressive 'and even more...' feel, and works in both speech and writing; 「なお」only plainly adds supplementary remarks and is written-style. As adverbs, their 'even more' senses are close, but 「なお」also means 'still.'
- しかもN2「しかも」stresses that what follows goes a step further than what comes before, and can also carry a 'surprisingly, on top of that' contrast; it is used in both speech and writing and can also connect words. 「なお」as a conjunction plainly adds supplementary remarks and is written-style, so the two generally cannot be interchanged.
その上, しかも, さらに, and に加えて add further points that pile onto or intensify the preceding content, while なお attaches a supplementary note set slightly apart from the main line. もっとも introduces a reservation or exception that partly qualifies what was just said.
