Grammer Question - も particle

[KEN_nihonemade]

Is this the right place to ask specific grammar questions?

Please refer to this sentence:
日本では、処方箋のいらない頭痛薬が約15 種類もあります。
"In Japan, there are about 15 types of headache medicine that don't require a prescription."

What's the nuance of the も particle in that sentence? My guess is that it's the indication that the medicine is available, and ALSO doesn't require prescription.


前ありがとう～

[jim.schuler]

"In Japan, there are also about 15 types of headache medicine that don't require a prescription."

I'm guessing that somewhere previous in the document there is a comparison set up, likely with other countries, but possibly with prescription medications.

[thegooseking]

KEN_nihonemadeさん、jim.schulerさん、

After a counter (which 種類 is), も has a meaning of "as many as" (as in, "Oh, as many as that?") with an affirmative verb, or "not even" with a negative verb. Compare だけ which, in this sense, means "only" with an affirmative verb and "as many as" with a negative verb.

"In Japan, there are as many as about 15 types of headache medicine that don't require a prescription."

It seems a bit weird in English, because we wouldn't normally combine "as many as" with "about", but I guess combining も and 約 works in Japanese. But the nuance is the same - it's basically saying this number is higher than one might have expected.

小狼

[community.japanese]

KEN_nihonemadeさん、jim.schulerさん、小狼さん、
こんにちは。
I agree with小狼さん。
The ‘も’ emphasizes a large number.
Yuki 由紀
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