Question about も

[AllMakesCombined]

これもエンピツです。

My Japanese text book tells me that the particle "mo" is used to reflect "too" or "also". What I'm trying to figure out is the short sentence above can be understood more than one way...

Example 1:
You have two pencils. Someone points at one and asks what one is.
A - それはエンピツですか。 (Is that a pencil?)
You then point to the other pencil and say:
B - はい。 これもエンピツです。 (Yes. This is also a pencil.)

Example 2:
You have a writing impliment which is a pen at one end and a pencil at the other (just pretend). You and your friend have the following conversation:
A - それはペンですか。 (Is that a pen?)
You flip the pen over and say:
B - はい。 これもエンピツです。 (Yes. This is also a pencil.)

Can this sentence be used in both scenarios or is it just one or the other?
In English, you say the same thing in both cases. What about Japanese?

I was just thinking about this while writing to a pen pal yesterday.

 

[KrazyKat]

これもエンピツです。
My Japanese text book tells me that the particle "mo" is used to reflect "too" or "also". What I'm trying to figure out is the short sentence above can be understood more than one way...
Example 1:
You have two pencils. Someone points at one and asks what one is.
A - それはエンピツですか。 (Is that a pencil?)
You then point to the other pencil and say:
B - はい。 これもエンピツです。 (Yes. This is also a pencil.)
Example 2:
You have a writing impliment which is a pen at one end and a pencil at the other (just pretend). You and your friend have the following conversation:
A - それはペンですか。 (Is that a pen?)
You flip the pen over and say:
B - はい。 これもエンピツです。 (Yes. This is also a pencil.)
Can this sentence be used in both scenarios or is it just one or the other?
In English, you say the same thing in both cases. What about Japanese?
I was just thinking about this while writing to a pen pal yesterday.

The first example that you gave is fine but unfortunately the second doesn't work. The thing that is too/also is the one that comes right before mo, in your second example it is 'this' and not 'pencil'. So the sentence comes out as saying "This too is a pencil" and not "this is a pencil too". This means that the Japanese 'mo' is more accurate than the Enlgish 'too'.

eg. I'm going to kyoto too. (Is that 'I' in addition to others, or kyouto in addition to other places? In Enlgish we don't know but it is clear in Japanese)
私も京都に行きます。
私は京都にも行きます。

 

[Damicci]

I think you would use と in the second sentence.

と basically means with (combined/together)
So it may make more sense to say this is a pen and pencil.
これはペンとエンピツです。
I am not sure though. Maybe we can get an authenticate answer.

But if your just specifying that it "also" acts as a pencil then も could work.

 

[Mike Cash]

In the second example, how about something like:

鉛筆でもある。
ペンでも、鉛筆でもある。
ペンと鉛筆が一緒になっている。

There's probably a name for the blasted things in Japanese, but I'll be hanged if I know what it is.

 

[Elizabeth]

In the second example, how about something like:
鉛筆でもある。
ペンでも、鉛筆でもある。
ペンと鉛筆が一緒になっている。
There's probably a name for the blasted things in Japanese, but I'll be hanged if I know what it is.

ペンで、それに鉛筆でもあります。（それに鉛筆をつけます。。。）。
ぺんでもあり、鉛筆でもあります。
Either of these may work as well.

 

[AllMakesCombined]

eg. I'm going to kyoto too. (Is that 'I' in addition to others, or kyouto in addition to other places? In Enlgish we don't know but it is clear in Japanese)
私も京都に行きます。
私は京都にも行きます。

Partially... If it's written, like in this post we can't tell the difference, but if you say it out loud, you'll notice there is a difference. It just depends on which word is emphasized.

I'm going to Kyoto too. (Me too)
I'm going to Kyoto too. (Kyoto too)

Thanks, everyone. This clears up the little question I had burning in my head. It's a silly one... but now I know. And the answer further proves how much more efficient the Japanese language can be!

 

[Tomii515]

how do you do the symbols?