Skip to content
道Nihongo Path

Lesson 12 of 76

Save Sign in to track

も (also; too)

mo (also)

By Nihongo PathUpdated

Meaning

"also / too / even"; with negative: "neither / not either".

も means "also / too". It replaces は, が or を: 私は学生です → 私も学生です "I am a student too". Two も in a row mean "both ... and ...": コーヒーも紅茶も "both coffee and tea". With a negative verb, も means "neither / not ... either", and after a question word it means "nothing / nobody / nowhere": 何も食べません "I don't eat anything".

Adding a second item to what was just said (私も！ "Me too!"), listing two things that share a quality, and making total negatives (何も, 誰も, どこも + negative).

Formation

V = verb, N = noun, A = adjective.

  • Noun + も (replaces は・が・を)
  • Noun + も + Noun + も (both ... and ...)
  • に／で／へ + も (にも, でも, へも — stacks, does not replace)
  • 何も／誰も／どこも + negative (nothing / nobody / nowhere)

Visual diagram

  1. Step 1田中さんは学生です。Mr Tanaka is a student.
  2. Step 2私も学生です。I am a student too. (も replaces は)
  3. Step 3何も食べません。I don't eat anything. (question word + も + negative)

Natural examples

  1. 私も学生です。

    わたしも がくせいです。

    I am a student too.

    も replaces は: "I too".

  2. コーヒーも紅茶も飲みます。

    コーヒーも こうちゃも のみます。

    I drink both coffee and tea.

    も〜も = "both ... and ...".

  3. 何も食べませんでした。

    なにも たべませんでした。

    I didn't eat anything.

    何も + negative = "nothing".

  4. 東京にも大阪にも友達がいます。

    とうきょうにも おおさかにも ともだちが います。

    I have friends in both Tokyo and Osaka.

    も does not replace に; it comes after it: にも.

  5. 日曜日は誰も来ませんでした。

    にちようびは だれも きませんでした。

    Nobody came on Sunday.

    誰も + negative = "nobody". Do not translate as "everyone did not come".

Similar grammar and the difference

Common mistakes

  • ✗
    私はも学生です。
    ✓
    私も学生です。
    Why
    も replaces は; the two particles never appear together.
  • ✗
    何も食べます。
    ✓
    何か食べます。／ 何も食べません。
    Why
    何も needs a negative verb. For "eat something" use 何か.
  • ✗
    東京も行きました。
    ✓
    東京にも／へも行きました。
    Why
    With destinations, も comes after に or へ; it does not replace them.

Question word + も + negative = "nothing / nobody / nowhere" (何も, 誰も, どこも, いつも with negative). 一つも／一人も + negative = "not even one".

JLPT N5 tips

On the exam

  • Look for a matching previous sentence (田中さんは学生です。私（　）学生です。) — that repeat structure signals も.
  • If the sentence ends with a negative and the blank follows 何・誰・どこ, the answer is も (nothing / nobody / nowhere), not か.

Frequently asked questions

What does も (also; too) mean?

"also / too / even"; with negative: "neither / not either". も means "also / too". It replaces は, が or を: 私は学生です → 私も学生です "I am a student too". Two も in a row mean "both ... and ...": コーヒーも紅茶も "both coffee and tea". With a negative verb, も means "neither / not ... either", and after a question word it means "nothing / nobody / nowhere": 何も食べません "I don't eat anything".

How do you form も (also; too)?

Noun + も (replaces は・が・を) / Noun + も + Noun + も (both ... and ...) / に／で／へ + も (にも, でも, へも — stacks, does not replace) / 何も／誰も／どこも + negative (nothing / nobody / nowhere). V = verb, N = noun, A = adjective.

When is も (also; too) used?

Adding a second item to what was just said (私も！ "Me too!"), listing two things that share a quality, and making total negatives (何も, 誰も, どこも + negative).

What is the difference between も (also; too) and は?

は introduces a topic; も adds "also" and takes は's place.

What is the difference between も (also; too) and と?

AとB simply lists; AもBも stresses "both", and with a negative means "neither".

What is a common mistake with も (also; too)?

Wrong: 私はも学生です。 Right: 私も学生です。 も replaces は; the two particles never appear together.

Quick check

1 / 5Multiple choiceDifficulty 1 of 5

What goes in (　　)? 田中さんは 学生です。私（　　）学生です。