数量詞＋も

Quantity word + も emphasizes that the speaker finds the amount surprisingly LARGE: 十時間も寝ました (I slept a whole ten hours!), 三万円もしました (it cost a whole 30,000 yen!). Without も, the sentence just states the number neutrally.

You know も as "also" from N5; here も plays a completely different role — attached after a quantity to convey "that much?!". Conversely, to lament "only that much, so little", use quantity + しか + negative: 三人しか来ませんでした (only three people came).

With 何 + counter + も, the meaning is "many times/things…": 何回も (many times), 何度も読みました (I read it over and over).

Examples

• 昨日(きのう)は十時間(じゅうじかん)も寝(ね)ました。

  Yesterday I slept a whole ten hours.

• 駅(えき)の前(まえ)に人(ひと)が百人(ひゃくにん)も並(なら)んでいます。

  There are as many as a hundred people lined up in front of the station.

• このかばんは三万円(さんまんえん)もしました。

  This bag cost a whole 30,000 yen.

Related patterns

• （期間）に（回数）