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A1

も — also, either, even

How も marks “also” and “too” in Japanese, why it displaces other particles, and how it works in negative sentences.

Noun + も

も means also, and it goes after the thing being added.

私も学生です。

Watashi mo gakusei desu.

I’m a student too.

コーヒーも飲みます。

Kōhī mo nomimasu.

I drink coffee as well.

It replaces the particle

も takes the place of は, が and を rather than stacking with them — the same behaviour as .

私はも学生です。

私も学生です。

も has already taken the topic slot. は and も cannot both mark the same word.

With に and で it does stack: 学校にも行きます, I go to school as well.

In the negative it means either

Same particle, and English switches words.

肉も食べません。

Niku mo tabemasen.

I don’t eat meat either.

Repeated for both

犬も猫も好きです。

Inu mo neko mo suki desu.

I like both dogs and cats.

In a negative sentence the same shape becomes neither: 犬も猫も好きじゃないです. The particle does not change — only the verb at the end does, and once again you do not know which reading was meant until the sentence finishes.

With a question word

何も, 誰も, どこも plus a negative give nothing, nobody, nowhere.

何もありません。

Nani mo arimasen.

There’s nothing.

These only work with a negative verb. 何もあります is not a sentence.

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