〜も — Also; Too; Even

japanesegrammarn5particles

Properties

Property Value
Level JLPT N5
Type Particle
Replaces は, が, を (follows に, で, へ, と, から, まで)

Meaning

も has three main uses:

1. Also / Too

Replaces は, が, or を to indicate that the same statement applies to an additional item.

Structure:

[Noun] も + [Predicate]

私は行く → 私も行く I go → I also go

2. Both X and Y / Neither X nor Y

Used in the pattern AもBも to express that a statement applies to both A and B.

Structure (positive):

[Noun A] も [Noun B] も + [Affirmative Predicate]
→ Both A and B ...

Structure (negative):

[Noun A] も [Noun B] も + [Negative Predicate]
→ Neither A nor B ...

3. Emphasis with Large Quantities

Attached to a quantity word to express surprise or emphasis ("as many as", "as much as").

Structure:

[Quantity / Number] も + [Predicate]

Examples

  1. 田中さんは学生です。山田さんも学生です。 Tanaka-san is a student. Yamada-san is also a student.

  2. 私は英語も日本語も話せます。 I can speak both English and Japanese.

  3. 彼はコーヒーもお茶も飲みません。 He drinks neither coffee nor tea.

  4. パーティーに100人も来た。 As many as 100 people came to the party.

  5. 駅にもバス停にも人がいない。 There is no one at either the station or the bus stop.

Note: What も Replaces vs. Follows

Original particle With も
は → も (replaces)
が → も (replaces)
を → も (replaces)
に → にも (follows)
で → でも (follows)
へ → へも (follows)
と → とも (follows)
から → からも (follows)
まで → までも (follows)

Common Mistakes

  • Keeping は with も — Do not say 私はも行く. Drop は entirely: 私も行く.
  • Confusing でも with も — でも (demo) on its own can mean "but" or "even"; context matters.
  • Misapplying emphasis — も after a quantity implies the speaker finds the amount surprising (large or small). Using it with ordinary numbers can sound unnatural.
  • Word order with AもBも — Both nouns must carry も and must appear before the predicate; they cannot be split across clauses.