The も-particle in Japanese is used to indicate that something is in addition to something else, similar to the English word “also” or “too.” The placement of も in a sentence depends on what it is modifying.
Common mistake:
The も-particle never comes at the beginning of a sentence. It doesn’t work like the English word “also” at the start of a sentence. If you start a sentence with も, native speakers might think you meant もう, which means “already,” since もう can appear at the beginning of a sentence.
After the Subject or Topic:
If you want to say that the subject or topic of the sentence is “also” doing something, place も after the subject/topic noun.
e.g.
彼も来ます。 (かれもきます。) — “He will also come.”
私も学生です。 (わたしもがくせいです。) — “I am also a student.”
After the Object:
If you want to say that the object of the sentence is “also” affected by the action, place も after the object noun.
e.g.
私は日本語も勉強します。 (わたしはにほんごもべんきょうします。) — “I study Japanese as well (in addition to other subjects).”
After Other Particles:
も can follow other particles to indicate that “also” applies to the specific grammatical function.
e.g.
彼にもプレゼントをあげました。 (かれにもプレゼントをあげました。) — “I gave him a present too.”
週末にも会いましょう。 (しゅうまつにもあいましょう。) — “Let’s meet on the weekend as well.”
With Verbs or Adjectives:
If you want to express that the action or state described by the verb or adjective applies “also,” you typically need to rephrase the sentence to move も to a noun or particle position, as も does not directly attach to verbs or adjectives.
e.g.
本を読むのも好きです。 (ほんをよむのもすきです。) — “I also like reading books.” (Here, の turns the verb phrase into a noun.)
Important Distinctions:
In Japanese, word order and particle placement can change the meaning of a sentence. It’s important to understand how these changes can affect the listener’s understanding.
- 私もアニメが好きです。
(わたしもアニメがすきです。)
— “I also like anime.”
In this sentence, “も” is used to mean “also.” It implies that in addition to someone else who likes anime, you also like anime. - 私はアニメも好きです。
(わたしはアニメもすきです。)
— “I like anime as well.”
Here, “も” is used after “アニメ” to imply that in addition to other things you like, you also like anime. The emphasis is on anime being one of the many things you like. - 私も甘いものが食べたいです。
(わたしもあまいものがたべたいです。)
— “I also want to eat something sweet.”
In this sentence, “も” is used to mean “also.” It implies that in addition to someone else who wants to eat something sweet, you also want to eat something sweet. - 私は甘いものも食べたいです。
(わたしはあまいものもたべたいです。)
— “I want to eat something sweet as well.”
Here, “も” is used after “甘いもの(あまいもの)” to imply that in addition to other things you want to eat, you also want to eat something sweet. The emphasis is on sweet things being one of the many things you want to eat.
Key Differences:
- 私もアニメが好きです。 and 私も甘いものが食べたいです。 emphasize that you are including yourself in a group of people who like anime or want to eat something sweet.
- 私はアニメも好きです。 and 私は甘いものも食べたいです。 emphasize that you are adding anime or sweet things to a list of things you like or want to eat.
Understanding these nuances is important because using “も” in different positions can change the meaning and potentially confuse the listener. If you say “私もアニメが好きです。” when you mean “私はアニメも好きです。”, the listener might misunderstand who else likes anime or what else you like. Similarly, confusing “私も甘いものが食べたいです。” with “私は甘いものも食べたいです。” can lead to misunderstandings about who else wants to eat something sweet or what else you want to eat.
By following these rules, you can correctly place も in your sentences to convey the meaning of “also” or “too.”