Shika & Mo
“Shika” is use to indicate that there is only a specific numbers. Example :
Q : Are there 8 apples? – Ringo ga yattsu arimasu ka?
A : No, there is only 1 apple – Iie, Ringo wa hitotsu shika arimasen
Q : Are there 20 textbooks? – Nihongo no kyoukasho ga nijuu satsu arimasu ka?
A : No, There is only 5 books – Iie, go satsu shika arimasen
“Mo” means “too” but there is other meaning depending how you form a sentence. Example :
Q : Are there 10 mandarin oranges? – Mikan ga jukko arimasu ka?
A : No, there isn’t any mandarin orange OR No, not even 1 orange is there- Iie, Mikan wa ikko mo arimasen.
John and I go to school too – Watashi mo John mo gakkou e ikimasu
Meaning : Ringo (Apple), Kyoukasho (Textbook), Mikan (Mandarin Orange)
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January 3rd, 2006 at 9:26 pm
Just to be pedantic, I’d note that mikan is a mandarin orange. (Not that you see any other kind very often in Japan.)
Good lesson, though. It takes some practice to get the hang of mo the way it’s used in negatives.
January 3rd, 2006 at 9:32 pm
Yes, you are right, mikan is mandarin orange. Maybe I should change it to mandarin orange which is more appropriate.
Thanks
December 13th, 2006 at 11:24 pm
Just a quick one–
For this sentence (Watashi mo John mo gakkou e ikimasu), would it be appropriate to use ni instead of e before the verb? I have learned this material before (some years ago) and always remember using ni. Thanks for clerifying!
December 14th, 2006 at 6:36 pm
Hi AJ, actually you may use both (e and ni) but in most cases, “e” will be use when you are mentioning about places.
December 29th, 2008 at 7:55 pm
Are you sure that it is Mikan wa ikko mo arimasen rather than Mikan ga? I think you might be wrong here.
December 29th, 2008 at 9:17 pm
Hi Kewell,
Yes, it is. “Mikan” is a topic and “wa” should be used. For your easy understanding, any negative sentence, “wa” should be used instead of “ga”
December 31st, 2008 at 3:44 am
How about this?
Sono mise ni ringo ga hitotsumo arimasen.
I tell people straight rather than I ask people like the below one? Why is the above one ga while the below on wa? Kinda confusing.
Sono mise ni ringo ga arimasuka?
Ie, ringo wa hitotsumo arimasen.
December 31st, 2008 at 9:58 am
Hi Kewell, You should use “ringo wa” instead of “ringo ga” for both answers.
December 31st, 2008 at 3:08 pm
Yeah, I thought so at first. But my japanese sensei emailed me and wrote me what I wrote you.
December 31st, 2008 at 11:07 pm
Hi Kewell, I think he/she might accidentally typed wrongly. You can double check with him/her again to confirm. Thanks
January 17th, 2009 at 10:15 am
Hi Tony,
Mou nihon no seikatsu ni naremashita ka?
I understand that for this sentence the Mou means (already). But how about this mou below? What does that mean?
Kohi mou ippai ikaga desu ka?
What is the mou mean word by word? And for the one above, what does the seikatsu ni naremashita word by word mean? Especially the (ni).
January 17th, 2009 at 3:30 pm
Hi Kewell,
Mō or Mou means “already”, “more”, “another”, “again”
The example you gave:
Kohi mou ippai ikaga desu ka? (How about another cup of coffee) where “mō” represents “another”
Hope this help. Thanks