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JLPT N4Particles

Number + も— As many/much as (emphasis on quantity)

も after a number/quantity emphasizes the amount as surprisingly large. "As many as / as much as." (For 'even as little as', a small quantity + も is used with a negative.)

Grammar path · 練習

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A short lesson: the pattern, its sentence anatomy, a quick quiz and a sentence to build.

Pro lessonUNIT 88 · PARTICLES

Structure · 形

[Number/Quantity] + も

Examples · 例文

  • 宿題が10ページもある！

    Shukudai ga juu peeji mo aru!

    There's as much as 10 pages of homework!

    10ページも = as many as 10 pages (more than expected)

  • 5時間も待ったのに、来なかった。

    Gojikan mo matta noni, konakatta.

    I waited as long as 5 hours, but he didn't come.

    5時間も = as long as 5 hours (unexpectedly long)

  • 彼は1日にコーヒーを10杯も飲む。

    Kare wa ichinichi ni koohii o juppai mo nomu.

    He drinks as many as 10 cups of coffee a day.

    10杯も = as many as 10 cups (a surprisingly large amount)

Usage notes · 注意

  • Key Concept: 数 + も (affirmative) = a lot, more than expected.
  • With small quantity + negative: 一円もない (don't have even a single yen) — emphasizes 'not even'.
  • Contrast: 5時間も待った (waited a whole 5 hours! surprising) vs 5時間しか待てない (can only wait 5 hours, limiting).

Commonly confused with

The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones Number is tested against.

vs〜しか〜ない

Number + も emphasizes a large/surprising quantity affirmatively ('as many as'); 〜しか〜ない emphasizes a small quantity with a negative verb ('only ~ / no more than').

vs〜だけ

だけ neutrally limits ('just/only ~'); Number + も does the opposite, stressing that the amount is greater than expected.

More particles

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