Meet も (mo), Your Friendly “Me Too!” Particle 👋

If you’re diving into Japanese grammar, you’ve probably met a few challenging particles already. Well, get ready for a breath of fresh air! The particle も (mo) is one of the most straightforward and friendly particles in the Japanese language. Its main job is to say “me too!”, “also,” or “as well.”

Think of も (mo) as the particle of inclusion. It’s the little word that lets you add things to the conversation, agreeing with someone or adding similar items to a list. While its core meaning is “too” or “also,” it has a few other cool tricks up its sleeve, like expressing “even,” creating “both… and…” sentences, and even forming words like “nothing” and “nobody.” Let’s take a look at how this versatile little particle works!

 

The Main Job of も: “Also” and “Too”

This is the most common use of も (mo) and the first one every student learns. It’s used to show that a statement also applies to something or someone else. The important rule here is that も replaces the particles は (wa), が (ga), and を (o). You don’t use them together.

Replacing は (wa) or が (ga)

A: 私は学生です
わたしはがくせいです
(Watashi wa gakusei desu.)
I am a student.

B: 私も学生です。
わたしもがくせいです
Watashi mo gakusei desu.
I am also a student. / Me too.

Here, も replaces は to show that person B is a student, just like person A.

Replacing を (o)

パンを買いました。そして、牛乳も買いました。
ぱんをかいました。そして、ぎゅうにゅうもかいました。
Pan o kaimashita. Soshite, gyūnyū mo kaimashita.
I bought bread. And I also bought milk.

パン (pan) = bread / bun
を = (particle indicating the direct object)
買いました (かいました) = bought (polite, past tense)
そして = and / and then
牛乳 (ぎゅうにゅう) = milk
も = also / too
買いました (かいました) = bought (polite, past tense)

牛乳を (gyūnyū o) becomes 牛乳も (gyūnyū mo) to add it to the list of things you bought.

What about other particles like に, で, or へ?

Great question! For most other particles, も does not replace them. Instead, it comes right after them. This lets you say things like “to there, too” or “at this place, also.”

昨日、京都に行きました。東京にも行きました。
きのう、きょうとにいきました。とうきょうにもいきました。
Kinō, Kyōto ni ikimashita. Tōkyō ni mo ikimashita.
Yesterday, I went to Kyoto. I also went to Tokyo.

昨日 (きのう) = yesterday
京都 (きょうと) = Kyoto
に = to (particle indicating direction/destination)
行きました (いきました) = went (polite, past tense)
東京 (とうきょう) = Tokyo
も = also / too
行きました (いきました) = went (polite, past tense)

Notice how も is added after に. It becomes にも (ni mo).

 

Adding Emphasis: “Even” 😲

Sometimes, も (mo) is used to add emphasis, turning “also” into a more powerful “even.” This happens when you’re talking about something surprising, unexpected, or extreme. The grammar is the same, but the context gives it this stronger meaning.

彼はひらがなも読めません。
かれはひらがなもよめません。
Kare wa hiragana mo yomemasen.
He can’t even read hiragana.

彼 (かれ) = he / him
は = (topic marker particle)
ひらがな = hiragana
も = even
読めません (よめません) = cannot read (polite, negative)

Since hiragana is the most basic Japanese script, it’s surprising that he can’t read it. The も emphasizes this surprise.

先生もその質問が分かりませんでした。
せんせいもそのしつもんがわかりませんでした。
Sensei mo sono shitsumon ga wakarimasen deshita.
Even the teacher didn’t understand that question.

先生 (せんせい) = teacher
も = also / even
その = that
質問 (しつもん) = question
が = (subject marker particle)
分かりませんでした (わかりませんでした) = did not understand (polite, past, negative)

You’d expect a teacher to know the answer, so their lack of knowledge is surprising. も highlights this.

 

The Superpower: Making “Nothing” and “Nobody” 🦸

This is one of the most useful functions of も. When you combine it with a question word (like “what” or “who”) and a negative verb, you create a statement of total negation. It’s a simple and powerful formula!

  • 何 (nani – what) + も + negative verb = nothing
  • 誰 (dare – who) + も + negative verb = nobody / no one
  • どこ (doko – where) + も + negative verb = nowhere

冷蔵庫に何もありません。
れいぞうこになにもありません。
Reizōko ni nani mo arimasen.
There is nothing in the refrigerator.

冷蔵庫 (れいぞうこ) = refrigerator
に = in / at (location particle)
何 (なに) = what
も = (particle used with a negative verb to mean “nothing”)
ありません (ありません) = there is not / do not have (polite)

何 (what) + も + ありません (there isn’t) = nothing.

パーティーに誰も来ませんでした。
ぱーてぃーにだれもきませんでした。
Pātī ni dare mo kimasen deshita.
Nobody came to the party.

パーティー (pātī) = party
に = to (destination particle)
誰 (だれ) = who
も = (particle used with a negative verb to mean “no one”)
来ませんでした (きませんでした) = did not come (polite, past, negative)

誰 (who) + も + 来ませんでした (didn’t come) = nobody.

 

More Cool Tricks with も

The “Both… and…” Pattern

If you want to say you like or do two things, you can use も twice. This creates an easy “both X and Y” structure.

犬も猫も好きです。
いぬもねこもすきです。
Inu mo neko mo suki desu.
I like both dogs and cats.

犬 (いぬ) = dog
も = and
猫 (ねこ) = cat
も = also
好き (すき) = like
です = is / am / are (polite form)

You can extend this list to more than two items!

Showing Surprise at a Large Amount

You can also use も after a number and a counter to express surprise at how large the quantity is. It translates to “as many as” or “as much as.”

昨日、ビールを5本も飲みました。
きのう、びーるをごほんものみました。
Kinō, bīru o go-hon mo nomimashita.
Yesterday, I drank as many as five bottles of beer!

昨日 (きのう) = yesterday
ビール (bīru) = beer
を = (direct object particle)
5本 (ごほん) = five bottles
も = as many as / even
飲みました (のみました) = drank (polite, past)

The も emphasizes that five bottles is a lot (and maybe a bad idea!).

And that’s the particle も! From a simple “me too” to forming “nothing” and “nobody,” it’s a small word that does a lot of work. Keep practicing, and it will quickly become one of your favorite and most-used particles!

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