Also: も
A も B です。
も = also (“either” with a negative). It replaces は, が, を, and goes after に, で, へ.
In short
も replaces は (or を, が) to say “also”: “わたしも がくせいです” = “I'm a student too”.
- わたしも がくせいです。watashi mo gakusei desuI'm a student too.
- これも 百円です。kore mo hyaku-en desuThis one is a hundred yen too.
- 母も きます。haha mo kimasuMy mother is coming too.
The basics
も means “also”, “too”. It takes the place of は, が or を: you don't keep them together. “I'm a student too” becomes わたしも がくせいです.
- わたしも がくせいです。watashi mo gakusei desuI'm a student too.
- コーヒーも 飲みます。kōhī mo nomimasuI drink coffee too.
も replaces は, が, を
The original particle disappears. With the other particles (に, で, へ, から), も goes after them.
| Without も | With も | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| わたしは | わたしも | me too |
| ねこが います | ねこも います | there's a cat too |
| パンを 食べます | パンも 食べます | I eat bread too |
| 東京に 行きます | 東京にも 行きます | I'm going to Tokyo too |
With a negative: “either”
In a negative sentence, も translates as “either” or “neither”: わたしも 行きません (I'm not going either).
- 田中さんも 来ませんでした。tanaka-san mo kimasen deshitaMr Tanaka didn't come either.
Common mistakes
- Writing はも or をも: も replaces は and を.
- Forgetting to keep に or で: you say 東京にも; 東京も on its own is looser and can be ambiguous.
- Looking for another particle for “either”: it's も with a negative verb.
5 exercises on this point
Particles to choose, sentences to put back in order, translations: marked straight away, then reviewed at the right time. This JLPT N5 point is on the Fukutoshin Line (People) of the Tokyo subway.