For autodidact students of Japanese, "also" is not a word that stands alone. English puts "also" or "too" where it likes in a sentence. Japanese has a small particle, も (mo), which is fixed to the word it adds to: 私も (watashi mo: me too, I also), 水も (mizu mo: water too). 田中さんは学生です。佐藤さんも学生です (Tanaka-san wa gakusei desu. Satō-san mo gakusei desu: Tanaka is a student. Satō is also a student). The Tokyo University of Foreign Studies grammar module states the meaning as "the matter marked with も holds in the same way as other matters do."
So the first thing to learn is the position. も follows the word that is "also." It replaces は, が and を, and it sits after the other particles (に, で, へ, と, から). The second thing is its range. The dictionary entries on Kotobank list six senses, and a learner meets five of them early: - Addition and likeness: 国語も好きだ (I like Japanese, too). 彼も学生です (He is a student too). - Pairing: 木も草も枯れる (both trees and grass wither). 猫も犬も好きです (I like both cats and dogs). - Totality with a question word and a negative: 何もない (there is nothing at all), 誰も来ませんでした (nobody came). - Surprise at an amount: 三千円もする (it costs as much as 3,000 yen), 十時間も寝ました (I slept as many as ten hours). - Approximate amount: 一週間もあれば (if it takes about a week...).
Japanese has other words that carry "also" or "moreover" in writing and in more formal speech. This lesson teaches も and shows where they take over. They sit at the sentence level and do not stand on a single word like も: - また (mata): "again; also; moreover," used to add a further point in writing. 彼は医者であり、また作家でもある (He is a doctor and also a writer). - 〜もまた (mo mata): the written, emphatic "likewise." 彼もまた学生だった (He too was a student). - それに (soreni): "besides, on top of that," at the start of a sentence. - 同じく (onajiku): "likewise, in the same way." - 〜だけでなく…も (dake de naku... mo): "not only... but also." 日本語だけでなく英語も話せます (I can speak not only Japanese but also English). - 〜はもちろん…も (wa mochiron... mo): "...of course, and also..."
Key Takeaways: - も (mo): "also, too, either, even, as many as." It is a particle and never changes its form - も follows the word that is "also": 私も (me too), 今日も (today too) - も replaces は, が and を: 私は → 私も, 水を → 水も - も comes after に, で, へ, と, から: 東京にも, 駅でも, 友達とも - 〜も…も: "both... and..." in a positive sentence, "neither... nor..." in a negative one - Question word + も + negative: 何も, 誰も, どこにも, 一つも: "nothing, nobody, nowhere, not one" - Amount + も: "as many as" in a positive sentence, "not even" in a negative one: 十時間も寝ました, 三十分もかからない - Not the same as もう (already, more), もっと (more), もし (if) or the verb stem モチ in 持つ: those are separate words - "Too" in the sense of "excessively" is 〜すぎる, never も
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も is a single hiragana character of three strokes, and it is read mo, one mora. According to the Kotobank dictionary entry, hiragana も comes from the cursive form of the kanji 毛 (hair, fur), and katakana モ from the last three strokes of the same kanji. The Unicode code point of も is U+3082, and that of モ is U+30E2. The particle is almost always written in hiragana. Katakana モ appears in loanwords (モデル, model) and in the old katakana poem of Section F.
Pronounce the o short and pure. Do not lengthen it to mō and do not glide it into English "mow." The word もう (mō, already, more) is a different word with a long vowel, and so are もっと (motto, more) and もちろん (mochiron, of course). In 持つ (motsu, to hold, to have), the stem 持ち is read mochi, and in the poem of Section F the verb form モチ (mochi, having) is not the particle も at all. When you read, ask whether も stands directly after a word with a meaning of its own. If it does, it is the particle.
Romanization is Hepburn, as in the rest of the course: は is wa, を is wo, and the long vowels are marked with macrons (Tōkyō, kyō, kinō).
The numerals and the counter word that go with も in this lesson are 十時間 (jūjikan, ten hours), 一時間 (ichijikan, one hour) and 三十分 (sanjuppun, thirty minutes). In 三十分 the 十 (juu) and the 分 (fun) join, and the sound changes to sanjuppun, with a doubled p. Say the doubled p as a short silence before it.
Words with kanji that turn up in this lesson: 学生 (gakusei, student), 医者 (isha, doctor), 料理 (ryōri, cooking), 風邪 (kaze, a cold), 傘 (kasa, umbrella), 景色 (keshiki, view, scenery) and 山頂 (sanchō, summit). 風邪 (kaze, a cold) and 風 (kaze, wind) are different words that happen to be said alike. In 風邪をひく (kaze wo hiku, to catch a cold) the verb is 引く, though it is normally written in kana as ひく.
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54.1a 私 I も also
54.1b watashi (wah-tah-shee) I mo (moh) also
54.2a 彼 he も also 学生 student です COP.POLITE
54.2b kare (kah-reh) he mo (moh) also gakusei (gah-koo-say) student desu (dehss) COP.POLITE
54.3a 水 water も also ください give-me-PLEASE
54.3b mizu (mee-zoo) water mo (moh) also kudasai (koo-dah-sah-ee) give-me-PLEASE
54.4a 猫 cat も also 犬 dog も also 好き liked です COP.POLITE
54.4b neko (neh-koh) cat mo (moh) also inu (ee-noo) dog mo (moh) also suki (soo-kee) liked desu (dehss) COP.POLITE
54.5a 今日 today も also 雨 rain です COP.POLITE
54.5b kyō (kyoh) today mo (moh) also ame (ah-meh) rain desu (dehss) COP.POLITE
54.6a 明日 tomorrow も also 来ます come-POLITE
54.6b ashita (ah-shee-tah) tomorrow mo (moh) also kimasu (kee-mahss) come-POLITE
54.7a 東京 Tokyo に DIR も also 行きました go-PAST.POLITE
54.7b Tōkyō (toh-kyoh) Tokyo ni (nee) DIR mo (moh) also ikimashita (ee-kee-mahsh-tah) go-PAST.POLITE
54.8a 駅 station で LOC も also 友達 friend に DAT 会いました meet-PAST.POLITE
54.8b eki (eh-kee) station de (deh) LOC mo (moh) also tomodachi (toh-moh-dah-chee) friend ni (nee) DAT aimashita (ah-ee-mahsh-tah) meet-PAST.POLITE
54.9a 私 I は TOP 英語 English も also 話せます speak-POT.POLITE
54.9b watashi (wah-tah-shee) I wa (wah) TOP eigo (eh-ee-goh) English mo (moh) also hanasemasu (hah-nah-seh-mahss) speak-POT.POLITE
54.10a この this 店 shop は TOP 安い cheap し and-what's-more 料理 cooking も also おいしい delicious です COP.POLITE
54.10b kono (koh-noh) this mise (mee-seh) shop wa (wah) TOP yasui (yah-soo-ee) cheap shi (shee) and-what's-more ryōri (ryoh-ree) cooking mo (moh) also oishii (oh-ee-shee-ee) delicious desu (dehss) COP.POLITE
54.11a 田中 Tanaka さん HON は TOP 医者 doctor で COP-TE 奥さん wife-HON も also 医者 doctor です COP.POLITE
54.11b Tanaka (tah-nah-kah) Tanaka san (sahn) HON wa (wah) TOP isha (ee-shah) doctor de (deh) COP-TE okusan (oh-koo-sahn) wife-HON mo (moh) also isha (ee-shah) doctor desu (dehss) COP.POLITE
54.12a 昨日 yesterday は TOP 何 what も ANY 食べませんでした eat-NEG.PAST.POLITE
54.12b kinō (kee-noh) yesterday wa (wah) TOP nani (nah-nee) what mo (moh) ANY tabemasen deshita (tah-beh-mah-sen dehsh-tah) eat-NEG.PAST.POLITE
54.13a 十時間 ten-hours も as-many-as 寝ました sleep-PAST.POLITE
54.13b jūjikan (joo-jee-kahn) ten-hours mo (moh) as-many-as nemashita (neh-mahsh-tah) sleep-PAST.POLITE
54.14a 風邪 cold を OBJ ひいて catch-TE 頭 head も also 痛い painful し and-what's-more 熱 fever も also あります exist-POLITE
54.14b kaze (kah-zeh) cold wo (oh) OBJ hiite (hee-ee-teh) catch-TE atama (ah-tah-mah) head mo (moh) also itai (ee-tah-ee) painful shi (shee) and-what's-more netsu (neh-tsoo) fever mo (moh) also arimasu (ah-ree-mahss) exist-POLITE
54.15a 雨 rain が SUBJ 降って fall-TE いました be-PAST.POLITE が but 彼 he は TOP 傘 umbrella も even 持たず hold-NEG.CONT に ADV 出かけました go-out-PAST.POLITE
54.15b ame (ah-meh) rain ga (gah) SUBJ futte (foot-teh) fall-TE imashita (ee-mahsh-tah) be-PAST.POLITE ga (gah) but kare (kah-reh) he wa (wah) TOP kasa (kah-sah) umbrella mo (moh) even motazu (moh-tah-zoo) hold-NEG.CONT ni (nee) ADV dekakemashita (deh-kah-keh-mahsh-tah) go-out-PAST.POLITE
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54.1 私も。(Watashi mo.) "Me too." 54.2 彼も学生です。(Kare mo gakusei desu.) "He is a student too." 54.3 水もください。(Mizu mo kudasai.) "Water too, please." 54.4 猫も犬も好きです。(Neko mo inu mo suki desu.) "I like both cats and dogs." 54.5 今日も雨です。(Kyō mo ame desu.) "It is raining today again." 54.6 明日も来ます。(Ashita mo kimasu.) "I will come tomorrow too." 54.7 東京にも行きました。(Tōkyō ni mo ikimashita.) "I went to Tokyo as well." 54.8 駅でも友達に会いました。(Eki de mo tomodachi ni aimashita.) "I met a friend at the station as well." 54.9 私は英語も話せます。(Watashi wa eigo mo hanasemasu.) "I can speak English too." 54.10 この店は安いし、料理もおいしいです。(Kono mise wa yasui shi, ryōri mo oishii desu.) "This shop is cheap, and the food is good too." 54.11 田中さんは医者で、奥さんも医者です。(Tanaka-san wa isha de, okusan mo isha desu.) "Mr Tanaka is a doctor, and his wife is a doctor too." 54.12 昨日は何も食べませんでした。(Kinō wa nani mo tabemasen deshita.) "I ate nothing yesterday." 54.13 十時間も寝ました。(Jūjikan mo nemashita.) "I slept for ten whole hours." 54.14 風邪をひいて、頭も痛いし、熱もあります。(Kaze wo hiite, atama mo itai shi, netsu mo arimasu.) "I've caught a cold; my head hurts, and I have a fever too." 54.15 雨が降っていましたが、彼は傘も持たずに出かけました。(Ame ga futte imashita ga, kare wa kasa mo motazu ni dekakemashita.) "It was raining, but he went out without even taking an umbrella."
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54.1 私も。 54.2 彼も学生です。 54.3 水もください。 54.4 猫も犬も好きです。 54.5 今日も雨です。 54.6 明日も来ます。 54.7 東京にも行きました。 54.8 駅でも友達に会いました。 54.9 私は英語も話せます。 54.10 この店は安いし、料理もおいしいです。 54.11 田中さんは医者で、奥さんも医者です。 54.12 昨日は何も食べませんでした。 54.13 十時間も寝ました。 54.14 風邪をひいて、頭も痛いし、熱もあります。 54.15 雨が降っていましたが、彼は傘も持たずに出かけました。
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These are the grammar rules for も (mo), "also."
The form of も. It is a particle and has no forms: it does not conjugate, agree or change. Everything in this section is about where it stands and what it replaces.
Addition (54.1–54.3, 54.5, 54.6, 54.9, 54.11). も is placed after the word that "also" applies to, and the sentence says the same thing about it that was said about something else. 私も (54.1) answers someone who has just spoken: "Me too." Polite and complete, 私もです. In 54.11, 奥さんも医者です adds the wife to Mr Tanaka. The word marked by も can be a noun, a pronoun or a time word: 今日も (54.5) is "today too," and so "again, as usual."
も replaces は, が and を (54.2, 54.4, 54.9, 54.12). Where the sentence would have had the topic は or the subject が, も stands in their place: 彼は学生です → 彼も学生です (54.2). Where it would have had the object を, also: 水をください → 水もください (54.3). The pair \彼はも or \水をも is wrong in everyday Japanese. (をも does exist, as a stiff, written emphasis.) Notice 54.9: 私は英語も話せます keeps は on 私, because it is 英語 that has been added: "As for me, I can speak English too."
も comes after other particles (54.7, 54.8). The particles に, で, へ, と, から and まで are not replaced, and も is put after them: 東京にも (54.7), 駅でも (54.8), 友達とも (with a friend too), ここからも (from here too). Their order is fixed: particle first, then も.
The position changes the meaning. も goes with the word just before it, so moving it moves the "also." 私も本を読みました means "I, too, read a book," and 私は本も読みました means "I read books too" (as well as other things). The difference is in the word that gets the も.
〜も…も: both and neither (54.4, 54.14, 54.16 and later). Two or more words each marked with も are joined: 猫も犬も好きです (54.4), "I like both cats and dogs." With a negative predicate the same pair means "neither... nor...": 猫も犬も好きではありません, "I like neither cats nor dogs." The Genre Section has this in 54.28 (風も雲もなく: "neither wind nor cloud").
〜も…し (54.10, 54.14). し lists reasons or facts one after another: 安いし、料理もおいしいです, "it is cheap, and the food is good too." も sits inside the second clause, and し makes the list feel open ("and there is more").
Question word + も + negative (54.12). 何 (what), 誰 (who), どこ (where), いつ (when) and similar words, followed by も and a negative, say "no..., not any...": 何も食べませんでした (54.12), 誰も来ませんでした (nobody came), どこにも行きません (I am not going anywhere). The も goes after any other particle, so どこにも, どこへも. The verb must be negative. With an affirmative verb they do not make this meaning. (いつも, "always," is a word in its own right, as it was in Lesson 53.)
Amount + も (54.13, 54.22, 54.26). After a number or a quantity word, も stresses that the amount is large, and the speaker shows surprise or a feeling of "so much": 十時間も寝ました (54.13), 一時間も歩いた (54.22). The Kotobank dictionary entry has 三千円もする, "it costs as much as 3,000 yen." With a negative verb the meaning turns round, and も says "not even": 三十分もかからない (54.26), "it won't even take thirty minutes," and so "less than thirty minutes." 一つもない, 一度も行ったことがない: "not one," "not even once."
Even (54.15). After a noun with a negative or a negative-like phrase, も can say "even": 傘も持たずに出かけました, "went out without even an umbrella." 持たずに is 持たない + で in a written, slightly stiff form (持たず is the continuative of the negative, and に closes it): "without holding." The sense is that the least thing was left out. This is the "even" of the dictionary entry, and it is the use of ニモ in the poem of Section F.
Contrast with the neighbours. - Use もう for "already" or "more" and もっと for "more": もう一つ is "one more," and 一つも is "not even one" (with a negative). The two read alike on paper and are quite different. - Use また or それに at the head of a sentence when "also" adds a whole new point rather than one more item. - For "not only... but also," 〜だけでなく…も: 日本語だけでなく英語も話せます. - For "even if," ても or でも: 遠くにいても (Lesson 53). This is a different construction, formed from the te-form + も, though it comes from the same particle.
Common Mistakes: - Keeping は, が or を in front of も. \私はも, \水をも are wrong. Write 私も, 水も. - Putting も on the wrong word. 私は本も読みました (I read books too) and 私も本を読みました (I, too, read a book) are not the same sentence. - Using も for "too" in the sense of "excessively." "It's too expensive" is 高すぎる (takasugiru), never \*高いも. - A question word + も with an affirmative verb. \*誰も来ました is wrong. The verb must be negative: 誰も来ませんでした. - Using も as "also" for a whole sentence, as English does at the start: "Also, he was late." That is それに or また, not a sentence-initial \*も. - Mistaking もう for も + う. もう is one word, "already, more," and one reads it moh, with a long vowel. - Lengthening the vowel: \*mō for も. It is one short mora, mo. - Answering "I don't go" with a bare 私も: 私も can mean "me too," whether the first speaker said yes or no. Listen to the whole exchange: 行きません。— 私も (行きません).
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も is among the commonest words in Japanese, and it is heard in the first minute of nearly every conversation. 私も (me too) and 私もです (me too, polite) are the answer of agreement, of fellow-feeling and of politeness: A says 会えてうれしいです (I'm glad to meet you), and B says 私もです (so am I). To say "so do I" with one small particle is a quiet way to build agreement.
Japanese often leaves the subject out, and も is one of the ways the listener keeps track of who is meant. 田中さんは医者で、奥さんも医者です works because the second clause sets up its subject with a single particle. In a long sentence the listener hears each も as a signal that a list is growing, and so understands what follows.
In the restaurant, in the shop and on the telephone, も is the particle of "more of the same." 水もください (54.3) is a natural, polite request. In stories, the repetition of も (猫も犬も, 風も雲も) gives a rhythm of pairs and lists that Japanese writers use freely. The adverb また and the written 〜もまた are heard in speeches and in print, and a learner who wants to write a formal letter will reach for them.
The Tokyo University of Foreign Studies grammar module treats も among the adverbial particles (副助詞, fukujoshi). The other matter that the "also" points back to is often left unsaid, and the listener supplies it. When you say 今日も (today too), it is understood that yesterday was the same.
Section F takes the particle into one of the best-known poems of modern Japan: 雨ニモマケズ (Ame ni mo makezu), by Miyazawa Kenji (宮沢賢治, 1896–1933). Its first four lines contain four ニモ.
Register: も is neutral and belongs to every level of speech and writing. In very formal prose, 〜もまた and をも are the written forms.
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宮沢賢治 (Miyazawa Kenji), 「雨ニモマケズ」 (Ame ni mo makezu), the opening four lines
雨ニモマケズ風ニモマケズ雪ニモ夏ノ暑サニモマケヌ丈夫ナカラダヲモチ
The poem was written in a notebook during Miyazawa's last illness and was found after his death in 1933. It is written in katakana, and it is printed here in the original katakana and orthography. The wording of these four lines was checked against two online transcriptions, which agree. The poem is in the public domain. The lines are chosen because the first three are built from ニモ, the particle に followed by も, the very pattern of 東京にも (54.7).
F-A: Interlinear
F.1a 雨 rain ニ to モ even マケズ lose-NEG.CONT
F.1b ame (ah-meh) rain ni (nee) to mo (moh) even makezu (mah-keh-zoo) lose-NEG.CONT
F.2a 風 wind ニ to モ even マケズ lose-NEG.CONT
F.2b kaze (kah-zeh) wind ni (nee) to mo (moh) even makezu (mah-keh-zoo) lose-NEG.CONT
F.3a 雪 snow ニ to モ even 夏 summer ノ GEN 暑サ heat ニ to モ even マケヌ lose-NEG.ATTR
F.3b yuki (yoo-kee) snow ni (nee) to mo (moh) even natsu (nah-tsoo) summer no (noh) GEN atsusa (ah-tsoo-sah) heat ni (nee) to mo (moh) even makenu (mah-keh-noo) lose-NEG.ATTR
F.4a 丈夫 sturdy ナ ATTR カラダ body ヲ OBJ モチ have-CONT
F.4b jōbu (joh-boo) sturdy na (nah) ATTR karada (kah-rah-dah) body wo (oh) OBJ mochi (moh-chee) have-CONT
F-B: Original and Translation
雨ニモマケズ 風ニモマケズ 雪ニモ夏ノ暑サニモマケヌ 丈夫ナカラダヲモチ
"Not yielding to the rain, / not yielding to the wind, / having a sturdy body that yields neither to snow nor to the heat of summer." (Translation: Latinum Institute.)
F-C: Original
雨ニモマケズ 風ニモマケズ 雪ニモ夏ノ暑サニモマケヌ 丈夫ナカラダヲモチ
F-D: Grammar and Literary Commentary
The verb is 負ける (makeru), "to lose, to yield," and the thing yielded to takes に: 雨に負ける, "to lose to the rain." The も then comes after に, in the pattern you learned in 54.7 and 54.8: に + も. Here it carries the sense of "even" (see "Even" in Section D): not yielding even to rain, even to wind. Every ニモ in the first three lines stands for a hardship that the speaker will not give in to, and the repeated も lists them one after another: rain, wind, snow, the heat of summer.
マケズ and マケヌ are both negatives of the old-fashioned kind. マケズ is the continuative form of ず, "not yielding, and...", and it lets the lines run on without a full stop. マケヌ is the attributive form of ぬ, and it stands before the noun it describes: マケヌ丈夫ナカラダ, "a sturdy body that does not yield." The modern equivalents are 負けず (still used in writing) and 負けない.
The last line of the passage carries a trap that the Script-Specific Guidance warned about: ヲモチ is not ヲ + モ + チ. It is the particle ヲ followed by モチ, the continuative form of the verb 持つ (motsu, to have, to hold): "having a sturdy body." The モ here belongs to the verb. A reader who sees only the sounds will mistake it for the particle.
The rest of the poem is outside this lesson. The first four lines already show how the particle makes a list out of single words.
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Kenta and Hanako climb a small mountain on a Saturday. The narrative uses the plain written style (the dictionary form and the plain past), as Japanese stories do. Every sentence has a も.
54.16a 土曜日 Saturday の GEN 朝 morning 健太 Kenta も also 花子 Hanako も also 早く early 起きた get-up-PAST
54.16b doyōbi (doh-yoh-bee) Saturday no (noh) GEN asa (ah-sah) morning Kenta (kehn-tah) Kenta mo (moh) also Hanako (hah-nah-koh) Hanako mo (moh) also hayaku (hah-yah-koo) early okita (oh-kee-tah) get-up-PAST
54.17a 二人 two-people は TOP 弁当 lunchbox を OBJ 作り make-STEM お茶 tea も also 水筒 flask に into 入れた put-in-PAST
54.17b futari (foo-tah-ree) two-people wa (wah) TOP bentō (behn-toh) lunchbox wo (oh) OBJ tsukuri (tsoo-koo-ree) make-STEM ocha (oh-chah) tea mo (moh) also suitō (soo-ee-toh) flask ni (nee) into ireta (ee-reh-tah) put-in-PAST
54.18a 朝 morning は TOP 寒く cold-CONJ 天気予報 weather-forecast では according-to 昼 noon から from 風 wind も also 強く strong-ADV なる become そう HEARSAY だ COP
54.18b asa (ah-sah) morning wa (wah) TOP samuku (sah-moo-koo) cold-CONJ tenki yohō (tehn-kee yoh-hoh) weather-forecast de wa (deh wah) according-to hiru (hee-roo) noon kara (kah-rah) from kaze (kah-zeh) wind mo (moh) also tsuyoku (tsoo-yoh-koo) strong-ADV naru (nah-roo) become sō (soh) HEARSAY da (dah) COP
54.19a 山 mountain の GEN 入口 entrance で LOC ほか other の GEN 登山者 climber も also 何人 how-many-people か SOME 休んで rest-TE いた be-PAST
54.19b yama (yah-mah) mountain no (noh) GEN iriguchi (ee-ree-goo-chee) entrance de (deh) LOC hoka (hoh-kah) other no (noh) GEN tozansha (toh-zahn-shah) climber mo (moh) also nannin (nahn-neen) how-many-people ka (kah) SOME yasunde (yah-soon-deh) rest-TE ita (ee-tah) be-PAST
54.20a 道 path は TOP 急 steep で COP-TE 息 breath も also 切れた run-out-PAST が but 二人 two-people は TOP 笑い laugh-STEM ながら while 登った climb-PAST
54.20b michi (mee-chee) path wa (wah) TOP kyū (kyoo) steep de (deh) COP-TE iki (ee-kee) breath mo (moh) also kireta (kee-reh-tah) run-out-PAST ga (gah) but futari (foo-tah-ree) two-people wa (wah) TOP warai (wah-rah-ee) laugh-STEM nagara (nah-gah-rah) while nobotta (noh-boht-tah) climb-PAST
54.21a 途中 on-the-way で LOC 鳥 bird の GEN 声 voice も also 聞こえた be-audible-PAST
54.21b tochū (toh-choo) on-the-way de (deh) LOC tori (toh-ree) bird no (noh) GEN koe (koh-eh) voice mo (moh) also kikoeta (kee-koh-eh-tah) be-audible-PAST
54.22a 一時間 one-hour も as-much-as 歩いた walk-PAST ころ time 花子 Hanako は TOP 少し a-little 休もう rest-VOLITIONAL と QUOT 言った say-PAST
54.22b ichijikan (ee-chee-jee-kahn) one-hour mo (moh) as-much-as aruita (ah-roo-ee-tah) walk-PAST koro (koh-roh) time Hanako (hah-nah-koh) Hanako wa (wah) TOP sukoshi (soo-koh-shee) a-little yasumō (yah-soo-moh) rest-VOLITIONAL to (toh) QUOT itta (eet-tah) say-PAST
54.23a 健太 Kenta も also ちょうど just 休み rest-STEM たい WANT と QUOT 思って think-TE いた be-PAST ところ moment だった COP.PAST
54.23b Kenta (kehn-tah) Kenta mo (moh) also chōdo (choh-doh) just yasumi (yah-soo-mee) rest-STEM tai (tah-ee) WANT to (toh) QUOT omotte (oh-moht-teh) think-TE ita (ee-tah) be-PAST tokoro (toh-koh-roh) moment datta (daht-tah) COP.PAST
54.24a 木 tree の GEN 下 under に LOC 座って sit-TE おにぎり rice-ball も also 食べ eat-STEM お茶 tea も also 飲んだ drink-PAST
54.24b ki (kee) tree no (noh) GEN shita (shee-tah) under ni (nee) LOC suwatte (soo-waht-teh) sit-TE onigiri (oh-nee-gee-ree) rice-ball mo (moh) also tabe (tah-beh) eat-STEM ocha (oh-chah) tea mo (moh) also nonda (nohn-dah) drink-PAST
54.25a 食べ終わる finish-eating と WHEN 花子 Hanako は TOP 景色 view も also きれい pretty だ COP ね FP と QUOT 言った say-PAST
54.25b tabeowaru (tah-beh-oh-wah-roo) finish-eating to (toh) WHEN Hanako (hah-nah-koh) Hanako wa (wah) TOP keshiki (keh-shee-kee) view mo (moh) also kirei (kee-ray) pretty da (dah) COP ne (neh) FP to (toh) QUOT itta (eet-tah) say-PAST
54.26a 山頂 summit まで up-to あと more 三十分 thirty-minutes も even かからない take-NEG と QUOT 地図 map に LOC 書いて write-TE あった exist-PAST
54.26b sanchō (sahn-choh) summit made (mah-deh) up-to ato (ah-toh) more sanjuppun (sahn-joop-poon) thirty-minutes mo (moh) even kakaranai (kah-kah-rah-nah-ee) take-NEG to (toh) QUOT chizu (chee-zoo) map ni (nee) LOC kaite (kah-ee-teh) write-TE atta (aht-tah) exist-PAST
54.27a 花子 Hanako の GEN 荷物 luggage も also 健太 Kenta が SUBJ 持って carry-TE また again 歩き始めた begin-walking-PAST
54.27b Hanako (hah-nah-koh) Hanako no (noh) GEN nimotsu (nee-moh-tsoo) luggage mo (moh) also Kenta (kehn-tah) Kenta ga (gah) SUBJ motte (moht-teh) carry-TE mata (mah-tah) again arukihajimeta (ah-roo-kee-hah-jee-meh-tah) begin-walking-PAST
54.28a 頂上 summit に LOC は TOP 風 wind も NEITHER 雲 cloud も NOR なく not-exist-CONJ 空 sky が SUBJ 青かった blue-PAST
54.28b chōjō (choh-joh) summit ni (nee) LOC wa (wah) TOP kaze (kah-zeh) wind mo (moh) NEITHER kumo (koo-moh) cloud mo (moh) NOR naku (nah-koo) not-exist-CONJ sora (soh-rah) sky ga (gah) SUBJ aokatta (ah-oh-kaht-tah) blue-PAST
54.29a 花子 Hanako は TOP 来て come-TE よかった good-PAST また again 来年 next-year も also 来よう come-VOLITIONAL と QUOT 言った say-PAST
54.29b Hanako (hah-nah-koh) Hanako wa (wah) TOP kite (kee-teh) come-TE yokatta (yoh-kaht-tah) good-PAST mata (mah-tah) again rainen (rah-ee-nehn) next-year mo (moh) also koyō (koh-yoh) come-VOLITIONAL to (toh) QUOT itta (eet-tah) say-PAST
54.30a 健太 Kenta も also 同じ same こと thing を OBJ 考えて think-through-TE いた be-PAST ので because うなずいて nod-TE もう一度 once-more 景色 view を OBJ 見た see-PAST
54.30b Kenta (kehn-tah) Kenta mo (moh) also onaji (oh-nah-jee) same koto (koh-toh) thing wo (oh) OBJ kangaete (kahn-gah-eh-teh) think-through-TE ita (ee-tah) be-PAST node (noh-deh) because unazuite (oo-nah-zoo-ee-teh) nod-TE mō ichido (moh ee-chee-doh) once-more keshiki (keh-shee-kee) view wo (oh) OBJ mita (mee-tah) see-PAST
54.16 土曜日の朝、健太も花子も早く起きた。(Doyōbi no asa, Kenta mo Hanako mo hayaku okita.) "On Saturday morning, both Kenta and Hanako got up early." 54.17 二人は弁当を作り、お茶も水筒に入れた。(Futari wa bentō wo tsukuri, ocha mo suitō ni ireta.) "The two of them made lunchboxes and put tea in a flask as well." 54.18 朝は寒く、天気予報では昼から風も強くなるそうだ。(Asa wa samuku, tenki yohō de wa hiru kara kaze mo tsuyoku naru sō da.) "The morning was cold, and according to the forecast the wind would get strong from noon as well." 54.19 山の入口で、ほかの登山者も何人か休んでいた。(Yama no iriguchi de, hoka no tozansha mo nannin ka yasunde ita.) "At the entrance to the mountain, several other climbers were also resting." 54.20 道は急で、息も切れたが、二人は笑いながら登った。(Michi wa kyū de, iki mo kireta ga, futari wa warainagara nobotta.) "The path was steep and they ran out of breath as well, but the two of them climbed laughing." 54.21 途中で鳥の声も聞こえた。(Tochū de tori no koe mo kikoeta.) "On the way, birdsong could be heard too." 54.22 一時間も歩いたころ、花子は少し休もうと言った。(Ichijikan mo aruita koro, Hanako wa sukoshi yasumō to itta.) "When they had walked for a full hour, Hanako said, 'Let's rest a little.'" 54.23 健太もちょうど休みたいと思っていたところだった。(Kenta mo chōdo yasumitai to omotte ita tokoro datta.) "Kenta, too, had just been thinking that he wanted to rest." 54.24 木の下に座って、おにぎりも食べ、お茶も飲んだ。(Ki no shita ni suwatte, onigiri mo tabe, ocha mo nonda.) "Sitting under a tree, they ate rice balls and drank tea." 54.25 食べ終わると、花子は「景色もきれいだね」と言った。(Tabeowaru to, Hanako wa "keshiki mo kirei da ne" to itta.) "When they had finished eating, Hanako said, 'The view is lovely too, isn't it?'" 54.26 山頂まであと三十分もかからないと地図に書いてあった。(Sanchō made ato sanjuppun mo kakaranai to chizu ni kaite atta.) "The map said it would not even take another thirty minutes to the summit." 54.27 花子の荷物も健太が持って、また歩き始めた。(Hanako no nimotsu mo Kenta ga motte, mata arukihajimeta.) "Kenta carried Hanako's bag as well, and they started walking again." 54.28 頂上には風も雲もなく、空が青かった。(Chōjō ni wa kaze mo kumo mo naku, sora ga aokatta.) "At the summit there was neither wind nor cloud, and the sky was blue." 54.29 花子は「来てよかった。また来年も来よう」と言った。(Hanako wa "kite yokatta. Mata rainen mo koyō" to itta.) "Hanako said, 'I'm glad we came. Let's come again next year, too.'" 54.30 健太も同じことを考えていたので、うなずいて、もう一度景色を見た。(Kenta mo onaji koto wo kangaete ita node, unazuite, mō ichido keshiki wo mita.) "Kenta had been thinking the same thing, so he nodded and looked at the view once more."
54.16 土曜日の朝、健太も花子も早く起きた。 54.17 二人は弁当を作り、お茶も水筒に入れた。 54.18 朝は寒く、天気予報では昼から風も強くなるそうだ。 54.19 山の入口で、ほかの登山者も何人か休んでいた。 54.20 道は急で、息も切れたが、二人は笑いながら登った。 54.21 途中で鳥の声も聞こえた。 54.22 一時間も歩いたころ、花子は少し休もうと言った。 54.23 健太もちょうど休みたいと思っていたところだった。 54.24 木の下に座って、おにぎりも食べ、お茶も飲んだ。 54.25 食べ終わると、花子は「景色もきれいだね」と言った。 54.26 山頂まであと三十分もかからないと地図に書いてあった。 54.27 花子の荷物も健太が持って、また歩き始めた。 54.28 頂上には風も雲もなく、空が青かった。 54.29 花子は「来てよかった。また来年も来よう」と言った。 54.30 健太も同じことを考えていたので、うなずいて、もう一度景色を見た。
〜も…も (54.16, 54.24, 54.28). 健太も花子も is "both Kenta and Hanako" (54.16), and おにぎりも食べ、お茶も飲んだ is "ate rice balls, and drank tea too" (54.24): a list with each item given its own も. The negative pair 風も雲もなく (54.28) is "neither wind nor cloud."
お茶も (54.17). The object お茶を becomes お茶も: the tea is added to the lunchboxes already made.
そうだ (54.18). After a plain verb, そうだ says "I hear that...": 強くなるそうだ, "it is said that it will get strong." It is a hearsay marker, and not the same as the そう of 54.1. The forecast, not the narrator, is the source. 風も here adds the wind to the cold of the morning.
何人か (54.19). 何 + counter + か gives "some, several": 何人か is "a few people." The も in ほかの登山者も adds these people to Kenta and Hanako.
息も切れた (54.20). 息が切れる (the breath is cut) is "to run out of breath." が becomes も because the breathlessness is added to the steepness of the path. 急で is the te-form of the copula で, connecting "was steep" to the next clause. ながら is "while, at the same time as," and joins 笑い (the stem of 笑う) to 登った.
声も聞こえた (54.21). 聞こえる is "to be audible" and is a verb that takes が: 鳥の声が聞こえた. With も it reads "birdsong too could be heard."
一時間も歩いた (54.22). A time word + も stresses length: "as long as an hour." The listener can feel the effort. ころ is "the time when," and 歩いたころ is "at about the time they had walked."
健太も (54.23). "Kenta also": the same wish as Hanako's. 思っていたところだ is "was just in the act of thinking," the pattern ところだ for a moment in progress. It uses the verb 思う that you learned in Lesson 53.
食べ終わると (54.25). The stem 食べ + 終わる (to finish) is a compound verb, "to finish eating," and と marks "when." 景色もきれいだね is the second compliment, after the food: "the view too."
三十分もかからない (54.26). It is a negative, so も means "not even": it will not even take thirty minutes. The English "less than thirty minutes" gives the sense. 書いてある is the state that remains from someone's writing: "it is written."
荷物も (54.27). The luggage is added to Kenta's own load. 花子の荷物も健太が持って has a changed order: the object is put first and the subject Kenta follows it.
頂上には風も雲もなく (54.28). には is に + は (place + topic), and is followed by two 〜も, which with the negative なく mean "neither... nor." The word なく is the conjunctive form of ない, and joins the clause to what follows.
来年も (54.29). 来年も is "next year, too": the trip is to be repeated. 来よう is the volitional of 来る, "let's come." Hanako's wish is said aloud, so it is put in quotation marks.
もう一度 (54.30). もう一度 is "once more," and it holds the word もう, which is not the particle も. You read it mō, with a long vowel, and it means "more" or "another." 健太も同じこと is "Kenta too, the same thing."
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Japanese has pitch accent, not stress: each word has a pattern of high and low pitch, and the respellings in this lesson give every syllable the same weight. For the pitch pattern of each word, check an accent dictionary such as the NHK 日本語発音アクセント新辞典 as you learn.
も (mo) — IPA: /mo/ — One mora. A short, pure o, with rounded lips and no glide. The English word "mow" ends in a glide, and も does not. もう (mō) — IPA: /moː/ — A different word. The vowel is long and counts two morae. Compare も (one beat) with もう (two beats). 私も (watashi mo) — IPA: /wa.ta.ɕi mo/ — The も is said as a part of the same phrase, without a pause before it. 東京 (Tōkyō) — IPA: /toː.kjoː/ — Both o's are long, four morae in all. 学生 (gakusei) — IPA: /ɡa.kɯ.seː/ — The ei is a long e: gah-koo-say. 水 (mizu) — IPA: /mi.zɯ/ — The u is unrounded and light. 猫 (neko) — IPA: /ne.ko/. 犬 (inu) — IPA: /i.nɯ/. 十時間 (jūjikan) — IPA: /dʑɯː.dʑi.kaɴ/ — The ju is long. 三十分 (sanjuppun) — IPA: /saɴ.dʑɯp.pɯɴ/ — The doubled p is a short silence before the p. 頭 (atama) — IPA: /a.ta.ma/. 熱 (netsu) — IPA: /ne.tsɯ/ — The ts is one sound, as at the end of English "cats." 傘 (kasa) — IPA: /ka.sa/. 景色 (keshiki) — IPA: /ke.ɕi.ki/ — The sh is soft and hushing, tongue flat. 山頂 (sanchō) — IPA: /saɲ.tɕoː/ — The n is made near the ch, and the o is long. 登山者 (tozansha) — IPA: /to.zaɴ.ɕa/. 荷物 (nimotsu) — IPA: /ni.mo.tsɯ/ — Note the も inside the word: it is part of 荷物 (nimotsu, luggage) and not the particle. 花子 (Hanako) — IPA: /ha.na.ko/ — The name of the girl in the story. 健太 (Kenta) — IPA: /keɴ.ta/ — The name of the boy.
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