Sign in to study

Reviews, practice drills, mock tests and progress tracking are free with a Google account. Sign in to start, and your progress is saved on every device.

N5 · G24 Particles

〜も〜も

Both ~ and ~ / Neither ~ nor ~

AもBも means "both A and B" with a positive verb, and "neither A nor B" with a negative verb. Put も after each item.

How to make it

RuleExample
Noun A + も + Noun B + も + positive verb
Noun A + も + Noun B + も + negative verb
Noun + に/で/と + も (は, が, を drop)

Meaning and examples

  1. 1. Both A and B

    With a positive ending, AもBも says that the same thing is true of both items.

    • watashi wa sakana mo yasai mo tabemasu.

      I eat both fish and vegetables.

    • chichi mo haha mo sensei desu.

      Both my father and my mother are teachers.

    • kono mise wa doyoubi mo nichiyoubi mo yasumi desu.

      This shop is closed on both Saturday and Sunday.

    • yama ni mo kawa ni mo ikimashita.

      I went to both the mountains and the river.

    • ano hito wa nihongo mo eigo mo jouzu desu.

      That person is good at both Japanese and English.

  2. 2. Neither A nor B

    With a negative ending, AもBも says that the thing is true of neither item.

    • koohii mo koucha mo nomimasen.

      I drink neither coffee nor tea.

    • kinou wa terebi mo shinbun mo mimasen deshita.

      I didn't watch TV or read the newspaper yesterday.

    • ani mo ane mo imasen.

      I have neither an older brother nor an older sister.

Nuance

も takes the place of は, が and を, so never say をも or がも. Other particles such as に, で, と and へ stay and come before も (にも, でも). The verb at the end decides the meaning: positive means "both", negative means "neither". You can list more than two items: AもBもCも.

Compared with

A single も means "also" or "too" for one item. AもBも pairs two items together.

や〜など gives a few examples from a longer list. AもBも stresses that both items are included.

AとB simply joins two nouns ("A and B"). AもBも adds the feeling "both" or "neither".

Common mistakes

Wrong

Right

も replaces を, so the two are never used together.

Wrong

Right

も must follow both items, not just the first.

Wrong

Right

Particles like に come before も, so the order is にも, not もに.

Practice

JLPT style: choose the best answer for ( ).

FAQ

How do I say "neither A nor B" in Japanese?

Use AもBも with a negative verb: 魚もやさいも食べません means "I eat neither fish nor vegetables".

What happens to particles like に and で?

They stay and も goes after them: 山にも川にも, うちでも学校でも. Only は, が and を are replaced by も.

Can I list more than two things?

Yes. Put も after each one: 月よう日も火よう日も水よう日もいそがしいです.

More in Particles

Spotted a mistake? Report it.

More