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JLPT N4 grammar comparison

〜しか〜ない "nothing but / only (with a negative)" vs 〜も (emphasising quantity) "as many as / even"

By Nihongo PathUpdated

The difference

From the 〜も (emphasising quantity) "as many as / even" lesson

〜しか〜ない "nothing but / only (with a negative)": しか stresses that the amount is small (三人しか来なかった). も stresses that it is large.

Side by side

〜しか〜ない "nothing but / only (with a negative)"

shika ~nai · JLPT N4

Meaning
"Only", with the nuance that the amount is less than expected or insufficient.
Formation
Noun + しか + negative: 百円しかない, 野菜しか食べないしか replaces が / をOther particles + しか: にしか, でしか, としか, からしかV-dictionary + しかない = have no choice but to (歩くしかない)

  1. 財布に百円しかない。

    さいふに ひゃくえんしか ない。

    I have only 100 yen in my wallet.

  2. 彼は野菜しか食べません。

    かれは やさいしか たべません。

    He eats nothing but vegetables.

Full lesson on 〜しか〜ない "nothing but / only (with a negative)"

〜も (emphasising quantity) "as many as / even"

mo (suuryou kyouchou) · JLPT N4

Meaning
After a number, も stresses that the amount is large; with negatives, that it is zero ("not even one").
Formation
Number + counter + も + affirmative: 三時間も待った (as long as three hours)一 + counter + も + negative: 一人も来なかった (not a single person came)何 + counter + も: 何回も (many times), 何年も (for years)も replaces を / が; with other particles it follows them: 十か国にも行った

  1. 昨日は十時間も寝た。

    きのうは じゅうじかんも ねた。

    I slept a whole ten hours yesterday.

  2. 財布には一円もない。

    さいふには いちえんも ない。

    I don't have a single yen in my wallet.

Full lesson on 〜も (emphasising quantity) "as many as / even"

Frequently asked questions

When do you use 〜も (emphasising quantity) "as many as / even" instead of 〜しか〜ない "nothing but / only (with a negative)"?

しか stresses that the amount is small (三人しか来なかった). も stresses that it is large.