How to use the particle も(=mo) & 「一★も」
October 8, 2013 in Beginners, Grammar
Hi everyone! Can anybody understand what this kitten is talking about?
ニャー= Nyaa = meow!
= Kare mo onaji koto wo itte ita.
= He was also saying the same thing.
Ex. コーヒーも下さい。
= Koohii mo kudasai.
= May I have coffee, too?
Ex. 明日も会える？
= Ashita mo aeru?
= Can I see you again tomorrow?
A and B are talking about a book.
= Eh? Mou hanbun mo yondano?
= What? You have already read the half?
We are going to focus on this usage today.
First, please note that sometimes it is hard to translate も in English.
We emphasizes the amount or quantity which comes before that and it shows one’s feelings that something is a lot/long/too much/too many /too long.
When you get 10,000 yen from someone, you say,
Ex. 3)１万円、もらった。(neutral)
= Ichiman en moratta.
= I got 10,000 yen
But if you feel 10,000 yen is a lot of money, you say,
Ex. 4) 一万円ももらった。 
= Ichimanen mo moratta
=I got 10,000 yen. (Yay! )
The listener can tell you think 10,000 is a lot and you are probably happy.
If something costs you 10,000 yen, you say
Ex. 5) 一万円かかった。
= Ichimanen kakatta.
= It cost 10,000 yen
This sentence is very neutral and there is no emotion attached. But if you think that was too expensive, you say
Ex. 6) 一万円もかかった !ase!
= Ichiman en mo kakatta.
= That cost me 10,000 yen. (How expensive!)
And we can tell it is too expensive for you.
Other examples using も to emphasize the amount or quantity.
Ex. もう２時間も待った。
= Mou nijikan mo matta.
= I’ve been already waiting for “two hours”.
Ex. このお菓子美味しかったから５個も食べちゃった。
= Kono okashi oishikattakara goko mo tabechatta.
= This sweets were so good that I ate “five” of them.
Ex. もう卒業してから一年も経ったの？時が経つのは早いね。
= Mou sotsugyou shite kara ichinen mo tatta no? Toki ga tatsu no wa hayaine.
= It has already passed one year since we graduated? Time flies, huh?
Ex. テキーラを３杯も飲んだら二日酔いになるよ。
= Tekiira wo sanbai mo nonda kara futukayoi ni naruyo.
= If you have three shots of tequila, you will get a hangover.
In negative sentences :
Ex. この車に６人も乗れないよ。
= Kono kuruma ni rokunin no norenai yo.
= This car won’t hold “six people”.
Ex. もう彼女に三日も会っていない。
= Mou kanojo ni mikka mo atte inai.
= I haven’t seen her (or my girlfriend) for “three days”.
Ex. 一晩で２冊も読めない。
= Hitoban de nisatsu mo yomenai.
= I can’t read two books in one night.
一+ counter unit + も + negative sentence
It means “not even one ~”/ “not to do ~ at all” / “without doing something at all”
and も has a function of emphasizing the word which comes before も, “not even”
From the picture above :
「猫語は一言も話せません。」
= Nekogo wa hitokoto mo hanasemasen.
= I can’t speak a word of Cat language.
一言= hitokoto = one word + も
not even one word
I will show you other examples.
★一滴= いってき= itteki = one drop
+ も = not even one drop
Ex. お酒は一滴も飲めません。
( can’t even drink a drop of alcohol)
= Osake wa itteki mo nomemasen.
= I can’t drink alcohol at all.
Ex. 今月は雨が一滴も降らない。
(without a drop of rain)
= Kongetsu wa ame ga itteki mo furanai.
= It doesn’t rain at all this month.
★一曲= いっきょく= ikkyoku = one song
+ も
not even one song
Ex. 知っている曲が一曲もない。
= Shitte irukyoku ga ikkyoku mo nai.
= I don’t even know one song. (I don’t know any songs.)
★一人= ひとり= hitori = one person
+ も
nobody
Ex.私の町には日本人は一人もいない。
= Watashi no machi ni wa nihonjin ga hitori mo inai.
= There is no Japanese in our town.
★一口= ひとくち= hitokuchi = one bite
+ も
= not even one bite
Ex. お腹が一杯で一口も食べられない。
= Onaka ga ippai de hitokuchi mo taberarenai.
= I am full and can’t eat another bite.
★一言=ひとこと= hitokoto = one word
+ も
= not even one word
Ex.昨日から彼と一言も話していない。
= Kinou kara kare to hitokoto mo hanashite inai.
= I haven’t talked to him at all since yesterday.
Ex. 一言もしゃべらないで下さい。
= Hitokoto mo shaberanai de kudasai.
= Please don’t say a word.
★一歩= いっぽ = ippo = one step
+ も
not even one step
Ex. 昨日は一歩も家から出なかった。
= Kinou wa ippo mo ie kara denakatta.
= I didn’t go out at all yesterday.
★一問= いちもん= ichiomon = one question
+ も
not even one question
Ex.一問も答えない。
= Ichimon mo kotaenai
= not answer even one question
★一台= いちだい= ichidai = one machine, vehicle
+ も
:rrrr: Not even one car, motorcycle, machine, etc.
Ex. 駐車場に車が一台もない。
= Chuushajou ni kurumaga iichidai mo nai.
= There is no cars in the parking lot.
★一睡= いっすい= issui = one “sleep”
+ も
not even one “sleep” = a wink
Ex. 昨夜は一睡もしていない。
= Sakuya wa issui mo shiteinai.
= I didn’t sleep at all last night. / I didn’t sleep a wink last night.
★一銭= いっせん= issen = one cent
+ も
not even a dime
Ex.一銭もお金を使わない。
= Issen mo okane wo tsukawanai.
= not to spend a penny.
***
You also use も(=mo) after interrogative pronouns such as
*何 (=nani) any, no ~ (anything, nothing)
*誰 (=dare) anybody, nobody
*どれ (=dore) any, no ~
*どこ (=doko) anywhere/ nowhere
to emphasize.
Ex. 誰も私の気持ちをわかってくれない。
= Daremo watashi no kimochi wo wakatte kurenai.
= Nobody understands how I feel.
Ex.忙しくて宿題を何もしていない。
= Isogashikute shukudai wo nani mo shite inai.
= I have been so busy that I haven’t done any homework yet.
Ex. 東京の彼から何の連絡もない。
= Toukyou no kare kara nan no rennraku mo nai.
= I haven’t heard from him in Tokyo at all.
Ex. お盆はどこのホテルもいっぱいだ。
= Obon wa doko no hoteru mo ippai da.
=Every hotel is booked out during obon holidays.
Or
お盆はどこもいっぱいだ。
= Obon wa doko mo ippai da.
= All the places are full during obon holidays.
＊＊＊＊＊＊
マギー先生より= MaggieSensei yori = From Maggie Sensei
残念ながら!? 猫の友達は一匹もいません。
= Zannen nagara!? neko no tomodachi wa ippiki mo imasen.
= Unfortunately!? I don’t have any cat friends.
Can you think of other examples?
Can someone here explain the usage of も in this sentence:
春も、ゆうべの雨や風で、残りなく洗われてしまった
I know what the sentence means, I just don’t fully understand how も is used here.
It’s from the old novel Musashi, so it could be literary or outdated usage of it.
@Bingfa
That も is for emphasizing 春
So the last night rain and wind were strong and they even washed away “spring”
Hi sensei!
I would like to ask you about the function of も in the following sentence
“特に何の反応もない…”
For context, the person heard something loud coming from a locker, thinking that something is in there and shook it, then the sentence pops up)
What exactly does the も do in the sentence? I don’t think the function described in this lesson is the one, since there is no “number”
My translation is “nothing (no response) in particular”, but I think I completely ignored the も
I would also like to ask another function of も, which I read from another website (but can only recall a little bit of the information) that it “compares”
I think the も in Danny G’s question (topmost) has the same function, in that it compares everyone in the world (only a few goes to church on Sunday mornings and others don’t). Is this correct? If not, can you tell me if も even “compares”?
I would be really grateful if you can help me, and thank you for the great lesson
@Nazaka
Hi Nazaka
Ah I should have added this usage, huh?
You use も in the following cases to emphasize.
There is NO ~~
→何も〜ない
→何の〜もない
NOBODY does ~ / There is NOBODY
→誰も〜ない
ANY ~ isn’t/doesn’t ~
→どの〜も〜ない
→どこの〜も〜ない
Any ~ is/does ~
→どの〜も〜
→どこの〜も〜
I just added the information in the lesson now.
As for your other question, I will get back to you later. I gotta go now. Sorry!
OK, I am back and read your question again but I don’t understand what you meant by も as comparison.
If you find an example sentence, please let me know.
Thanks for the reply sensei!
I completely get it now after reading your example and explanations!
ありがとうございます！
It’s alright, please take your time!
If I can ask, what does 日曜日の朝に教会に行く人もいる。 mean than? Specifically もいる. I hear it translated as “some” but I’m not sure if it relates to this lesson.
@Danny G
Hello Danny
日曜日の朝に教会に行く人もいる。
emphasize the part 日曜日の朝に教会に行く人
It means “also” or “even”
There are even people who go to church on Sunday morning.
or
There are also people who go to church on Sunday morning.
はっきり説明してくれてありがとうございました。
@Danny G
どういたしまして！ ❤
こにちわ マギーせんせい,
Can I use も in this way:
もいちねん (one more year)
ありがとうございます
ヴァルタ
@Valter
こんにちは、ヴァルタ！
one more year is もう一年。
もう and も are different.
Hi Maggie sensei!
Is “mo” always only used to emphasize the amount or can it also mean “more than” or “less than”? Or is it “motto” that is used for that?
Does “mo” always go with the word that precedes it or can it sometimes modify the word that follows it?
Do you also have a lesson on “mou”? Does “mou” always modify the word that follows it or can it also be placed after the word? How do I know whether to use “mo”, “mou” or “motto”?
@etoile38
Hello etoile,
Ah, OK…I think you are talking about the following cases.
Ex. このワインは千円もしません。
= This wine doesn’t cost (even) one thousand yen.
In you rephrase it, it is possible to say
*This wine costs less than 1,000 yen.
But the second translation doesn’t involve any feelings and it just tells the fact that the wine costs less than 1,000 yen.
*****
I can’t think of good examples right now but
も does emphasizes the word that precedes it but the preceded word with も modifies what comes after.
Ex. ５００人も集まった。
= Gohyakunin mo atsumatta.
も emphasizes “500 people” and modifies the following verb, 集まった(=atsumatta)
*****
も, もう, もっと are all different. もっと
I don’t have a lesson on もう(=mou) but will make one for you if I have a chance. (Right now I have a long list of request lessons.)
もう(=mou) = already, expressing the feelings that something is enough
もっと(=motto) =more
You can not replace も with もう・もっと in none of my example sentences.
Thank you, Maggie sensei!
@etoile37
You’re very welcome!
Thank you for this lesson Maggie-sensei!
Although I’m still getting confused
In this sentence, 満開の桜を一週間も見ることができない
is the speaker giving emphasis on 一週間 too?
@Myu
Hello Myu,
Yes, that も stresses 一週間 and the speaker feels one week is too long.
Hi! :D Thank you so much for your hard work! It’s great! Can I ask you something? In the following sentence:
世界のどんな言葉
探してもニュアンス違うだろう
what is the point of ”も”? Is it something like ”Whichever language in the world, I keep searching and the nuance seems not correct”.
@Ereki
Hello Ereki!
It’s from an AKB song, ハートエレキ, right?
This も means “even if”
But in this case, you can translate it something like…
Whatever word you found in the world must have difference nuance.
Awesome lesson, マギー先生!
I’m not sure about the function of で in this sentence: お腹が一杯で一口も食べられない。
Is this で short for なので (because)?
So the literal translate would be: “Because my stomach is full, I can’t eat another bite.” (Is this correct?)
@Marianne
Hi Marianne,
Great! I can see you’ve been studying hard!
お腹が一杯で一口も食べられない
で has many functions and one of them is to indicate a reason causally.
You can replace it with なので
お腹が一杯なので一口も食べられない。
= Because I am full I can’t eat another bite.
I would say で is lighter and なので indicates the reason stronger.
That’s why I translated it as “and”
(なので = because ~~ / 〜で = (reason) so../ and…/because )
お腹が一杯なので一口も食べられない
ああ、なるほど！That makes sense^^ ありがとう、先生！
Sorry, but I have another question: How is も used in this sentence?
愚痴なんて聞きたくもない.
I got it from the なんて lesson. I believe it’s just for emphasis, but I’m not entirely sure. Are there any patterns/rules for using this kind of も?
@Marianne
Yes, it is to emphasize.
OK, I will show you the pattern.
~なんてVたくない
→(stronger feeling.)
〜なんてVたくもない
Ex. 宿題なんてやりたくない。
= I don’t want to do my homework.
→stronger feeling.
Ex. 宿題なんてやりたくもない。
ありがとう、マギー先生！
マギー先生のサイトなんていつも使い止みたくもない^^
@Marianne
どういたしまして！（マギー先生のサイトなんていつも使い止みたくもない^^→??? you wanted to say you don’t even want to stop using my site?)
I basically tried to say, “I never want to stop using Maggie Sensei’s site!” with LOTS of emphasis. I guess it didn’t work out like I thought it would, eh? XD 拙い日本語ごめんなさい! >_<
good morning dear maggie sensei. i saw some explanations about the usage of kedo:
http://japanese.about.com/library/blqow1.htm
https://ph.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20131211112552AAMMirR
but there are times i see/hear kedo/keredo + mo. is the “mo” in (kedo/keredo + mo) is the emphasizing “mo” or (kedo/keredo + mo) is just another variation of kedo/keredo?
thank you so much in advance dear maggie sensei.
@obakasan000
keredomo/kedomo/kedo
It is originally “けれども(=keredomo)”
けれども keredomo (formal)
→けれど keredo (less formal)
→ けどkado (more casual)
thank you so much dear maggie sensei. n_n.
@obakasan000
You’re welcome!
thank you so much dear maggie sensei. yes mam’ n_n. you may call me with that name. you’re so thoughtful explaining all the possible answers. how i wish i could have an internet connection in our home (so that i’ll be always updated). good night dear maggie sensei. n_n
どういたしまして！Have a nice day!
good day dear maggie sensei and everyone. i dont if this is the right thread for this question. i am having confusion for this words.
does the same principle (mo as the one that emphasize) also applies in konna ni mo
does that mean konna ni kawaii and konna ni mo kawaii are the same but konna ni mo has emphasazing power
and do these two sentencces have the same exact meaning:
konna ni mo kono omoi (feeling)
konna ni mo omoi
thank you so much in advance dear maggie sensei and everyone.
@obakasan000
Hello again, (Should I call you “orikousan000″?)
こんなに＜こんなにも (こんなにも is stronger. As you said も has a function of emphasizing)
a) 彼の妹がこんなにかわいい女の子だとは知らなかった。
= I didn’t know his sister was this cute.
b) 彼の妹がこんなにもかわいい女の子だとは知らなかった。(stronger)
= I didn’t know his sister was THIS cute.
****
konna ni mo kono omoi (feeling)
konna ni mo omoi
I have to guess what you wanted to say using these words but for example
a sentence like this?
こんなにもこの想いに苦しめられるなんて…
= Konnanimo kono omoi ni kurushimerareru nante…
I had no idea I would suffer from this feeling this much.
If so, your second sentence doesn’t have “この=kono” so it won’t specify the feeling so it won’t be the same.
If you wanted to compare the sentences
Konna ni kono omoi
Konna nimo kono omoi
the the later is stronger. (It emphasizes “this much” more.)
Hi maggie, could you explain the use of -nari in adjectives as in the following sentence? You’ll help me a lot!
ホテルの古いじゅうたんにｗｅｔｓｕｉｔを広げて準備している彼のうしろ姿が愛おしくなり、熱くて濃いcoffeeを淹てあげた。
Greetings, David!
The ～なり used in 愛おしくなり has the same meaning as ～なって, so 愛おしくなり＝愛おしくなって.
例）
１） 私の子どもはもう大きくなって、暗闇を恐れなくなった。 = 私の子どもはもう大きくなり、暗闇を恐れなくなりました。
２） 返事が遅くなり、申し訳なく存じます。 = 返事が遅くなって、申し訳なく存じます。
So as you can see the meaning is the same. However I think that なり is slightly more formal than なって. In everyday conversation, especially between friends, the ～て form （＝なって） would be used.
As for the translation: I sympathize with him, watching his preparations when he was spreading out his ｗｅｔｓｕｉｔ on the old carpet in the hotel, so [/and] I made him a hot, dark coffee.
However I’m not sure if my translation is correct because 愛おしい can mean: 1. 大事にして、かわいがりたくなるさま。 or 2. かわいそうだ。気の毒だ。 But I know someone, who will solve this problem＾＾
今はマギー先生の番ですよ！
Maggie先生、
次の文で「だって」の使いがよく分かりません、
分：「璃子も服が濡れてるし、光奈だってあたしを支えてたから、ほら！」
それはつまり、「璃子も服が濡れてるし、光奈だって’服が濡れてる、’あたしを支えてたから」それとも「璃子も服が濡れてるし、光奈だってあたしを支えてたから’服が濡れてる’」、どちらが正しいのか、教えてください。
ありがごうございます！
文脈：
「あんた達も一緒に入るのよ」
「え……」
「璃子も服が濡れてるし、光奈だってあたしを支えてたから、ほら！」
「あっ……！」
手を伸ばし光奈の腕を掴むと、思った通りその手は氷のように冷たかった。
「あたし一人だけ温まるってのもね。あんた達だってどうせ風呂に入るつもりなら、今一緒に入れば良いじゃん」
@よしや
こんにちは、よしや！
「璃子も服が濡れてるし、光奈だってあたしを支えてたから’服が濡れてる’」の解釈が正しいです。
だって means “even” “also” / Also it emphasize the noun which comes before だって
Thanks for the lesson~ I noticed this:
[A and B are talking about a book.
A : まだ半分も読み終えていない。
= Mada kono hon hanbun mo yomioete inai.]
There’s some text missing from the Japanese part or there’s some extra in the romanji.
Not a big deal, but for a real beginner it may be confusing.
@papperogue
Thank you for Sporting the mistake.Right now I’m on vacation so I will fiv it as soon as I come back to Japan! ありがとう！
Hi, thanks for the great blog and lessons!
What is the meaning of し in NEWSも好きだし、嵐も好きだ。?
ありがとうございます！
@マルコ
Hi マルコ！
〜し here means “and”
(I will post a lesson on し next year!)
ありがとうございました、ゆかり先生！
あなたのブログが本当に好きだよ！
@マルコ
どういたしまして！！またいつでもこのブログに来て下さいね。
Wow! I never realized until now how many different uses there were for も! This is definitely a useful lesson to use as a reference during my studies. ありがとうございます、マギー先生!^_^
To the cute kitty: ニャー, ニャー!(Nice to meet you too!)
実は猫語が少しだけ話せますね…じょだんですよ(笑)
@Remi Ayumi Lee
Hi, Remi!
すご〜い！猫語がわかるのね。
Oh that was what she was saying. な〜んだ…I thought she was saying「マギーはかわいい❤」:)
幸せー
＠アフロ君
アフロ君、幸せそうでよかった！
This lesson taught me so much!and I really love how you used NEWS in one of your examples! :D
ありがとうございます、マギー先生！。本当に楽しかったです！
@ninipana
レッスン楽しんでくれてうれしいです！