私も
watashi mo
The phrase "me neither" in Japanese is expressed as 私も (watashi mo).
私も is used to express agreement with a negative statement, functioning as both "me too" and "me neither" depending on the context of the conversation.
Meaning: me neither (phrase)
How does it change in a sentence?
The particle も is used to show agreement with the preceding statement. It can mean "me too" for positive statements or "me neither" for negative statements, depending on what was said before.
How do you pronounce it?
watashi mo
Did you know?
- Japanese has several words for 'I', meaning that the 私 in 私も can change to 僕 ('boku') for a softer masculine tone or あたし ('atashi') for a very feminine one.
- In Japanese culture, agreeing with a negative statement using 私も is often seen as a way to build 'wa' or social harmony by showing shared feelings or struggles.
- In very casual Japanese, people often drop the 私 and just say も or add a particle like もだよ to sound more natural. Using the full 'watashi mo' in a close friend circle can sometimes feel slightly stiff or overly polite.
Examples in context
- 「トムはなんで来てないの？」「なんかコンピューターウイルスに感染したんだって」「は、トムが？」「うん、熱出して寝込んでるらしい」「意味分かんないんだけど」「私も」"Why isn't Tom coming?" "He was talking about getting infected by a computer virus or something." "Hah, Tom did?" "Yeah, he's going to heat it out in bed." "I don't think I understand." "Me neither."This example shows how 私も can be used to express agreement with a statement of lack of understanding.Tatoeba #3705799 by tommy_san, translation #7766678 by metcaslix
- 私も行きません。Watashi mo ikimasen.I won't go either.
- 私も分かりません。Watashi mo wakarimasen.I don't know either.
Example conversation
Two students are talking about a difficult homework assignment.
- 美咲 Misakiこの数学の問題、全然分からないよ。Kono suugaku no mondai, zenzen wakaranai yo.I don't understand this math problem at all.
- 蓮 Ren私も。Watashi mo.Me neither.
- 美咲 Misaki蓮君も分かってないんだね。Ren-kun mo wakatte nain da ne.You don't get it either, Ren.
- 蓮 Renうん、すごく難しいね。Un, sugoku muzukashii ne.Yeah, it's really difficult.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
