Explanation
と = "and" (complete list) or "with". も = "also/too".
Usage: と lists nouns completely ("A and B and...") or marks a companion ("with"). も means "also/too" and replaces は or が in the sentence.
Formation: と joins two nouns as and (父と母), and it also marks a companion (友達と行く) or quotes speech (行くと言う). も replaces は or が to mean also or too (私も行く).
Usage & nuance: と lists nouns exhaustively, implying the list is complete, unlike や which gives only examples. As a companion marker, と means together with. も adds the noun to a previously mentioned set, and combined forms like とも and にも mean both and also to.
Compare: と vs や. パンと卵が買いたい lists only those two items, while パンや卵 means bread and eggs among other things. For joining whole clauses with and, use the て form instead of と.
हिंदी में समझें
と = "और" (पूरी सूची) या "के साथ"। も = "भी"।
Examples
- りんごとバナナをかいました。 (Ringo to banana o kaimashita.)
हिंदी: सेब और केला खरीदा।
English: I bought an apple and a banana. - わたしもいきます。 (Watashi mo ikimasu.)
हिंदी: मैं भी जाता हूँ।
English: I will go too. - ともだちとえいがをみます。 (Tomodachi to eiga o mimasu.)
हिंदी: दोस्त के साथ फिल्म देखता हूँ।
English: I watch a movie with a friend. - おちゃもコーヒーもすきです。 (Ocha mo koohii mo suki desu.)
हिंदी: चाय और कॉफ़ी दोनों पसंद हैं।
English: I like both tea and coffee. - 父と母が来ます。 (Chichi to haha ga kimasu.)
हिंदी: पिता और माँ आएँगे।
English: My father and mother will come. - 私も行きます。 (Watashi mo ikimasu.)
हिंदी: मैं भी जाऊँगा।
English: I will go too.
Common mistakes
- わたし も は いきます → わたし も いきます — Don't use は and も together like this.
Practice this topic
Test your understanding with 3 questions on Particles と (and/with) and も (also).