N5 Japanese Mastery: Expressing "Also" (も) and "Is Not" (じゃありません)

Welcome to your ultimate guide to N5 Japanese! Today, we are mastering two fundamental building blocks of Japanese grammar: も (mo), the particle for "also/too," and じゃありません (ja arimasen), the polite negative form of "to be."

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to confidently introduce yourself, describe others, and state what things are—and are not.

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In Japanese, particles are small words added to the end of nouns to define their grammatical role.

The particle も (mo) is used to indicate that what you are saying applies to this noun as well. It translates directly to "also" or "too" in English.

The Golden Rule of も: Replacement

When you want to say "also," も completely replaces the topic marker は (wa) or the subject marker が (ga). Do not use them together!

• Incorrect: ❌ わたしはも学生です。(Watashi wa mo gakusei desu.)学生
• Correct: can be written as:
  • 私は学生です。 (I am a student.)私学生
  • 鈴木さんも学生です。 (Suzuki-san mo gakusei desu. / Mr. Suzuki is also a student.)鈴木学生
  私学生鈴木

Quick Stroke Order Tip for も:

To write も beautifully, follow these three steps:

1. Draw the long central hook starting from the top, curving to the right (like the hiragana し).
2. Draw the top horizontal line from left to right.
3. Draw the bottom horizontal line from left to right.

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To say something is something, we use です (desu). To say something is not, we use じゃありません (ja arimasen). This is the polite, negative form used for nouns and na-adjectives.

Grammar Structure

$$\text{Noun} + \text{じゃありません}$$

Examples:

• 私は先生じゃありません。
  • Romaji: Watashi wa sensei ja arimasen.
  • English: I am not a teacher.
  私先生
• これは水じゃありません。
  • Romaji: Kore wa mizu ja arimasen.
  • English: This is not water.
  水

Formality Spectrum (Bonus Knowledge)

Depending on who you are talking to, you can change the level of formality:

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Let’s see how も and じゃありません work together in a realistic N5 dialogue.

A: ミラーさんは会社員（かいしゃいん）ですか。
(Mirā-san wa kaishain desu ka?)
"Is Mr. Miller an office worker?"会社員

B: はい、ミラーさんは会社員です。
(Hai, Mirā-san wa kaishain desu.)
"Yes, Mr. Miller is an office worker."会社員

A: サントスさんも会社員ですか。
(Santosu-san mo kaishain desu ka?)
"Is Mr. Santos also an office worker?"会社員

B: いいえ、サントスさんは会社員じゃありません。学生（がくせい）です。
(Iie, Santosu-san wa kaishain ja arimasen. Gakusei desu.)
"No, Mr. Santos is not an office worker. He is a student."会社員学生

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Test your skills! Translate the following sentences into Japanese. (Scroll down for answers)

1. I am Japanese. (Japanese = 日本人 / Nihonjin)日本人
2. Tanaka-san is also Japanese.
3. I am not a doctor. (Doctor = 医者 / Isha)医者

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Answers

1. 私は日本人です。(Watashi wa Nihonjin desu.)私日本人
2. 田中さんも日本人です。(Tanaka-san mo Nihonjin desu.)田中日本人
3. 私は医者じゃありません。(Watashi wa isha ja arimasen.)私医者

You've mastered these two essential N5 structures! Keep practicing, and your Japanese will continue to flourish! がんばってください！