“〜mo 〜ba 〜mo”: Both 〜 and 〜 (listing two qualities) [JLPT N2]

Content by NTJ Kuma · Nihongo to Japan editorial team · Updated July 27, 2026

「値段も安ければ味もいい」 — “both 〜 and 〜,” stacking two same-direction points for emphasis.

「彼は頭も良ければ、性格もいい」 — listing two same-direction merits in one breath

Introducing someone: 「彼は頭も良ければ、性格もいい」 (he's both smart and good-natured) — 「〜も〜ば〜も」 = both … and …, not only … but also …, listing two same-direction traits/facts side by side, stressing “has both.” It uses 「ば (hypothetical form)」 in form, but the meaning isn't hypothesis — it's an oft-tested N2 listing pattern. This guide covers its attachment and how to tell it from 「〜し」「〜も〜も.」

Core: も〜ば〜も = both … and … (same-direction listing)

「〜も〜ば〜も」 lists two same-direction facts, meaning “both … and …, not only … but also ….”:

• Positive listing: 頭も良ければ、性格もいい (both smart and good-natured).
• Negative listing: 金もなければ、暇もない (neither money nor free time).

Feel: “both … and …／neither … nor …” — the core is listing two ‘same-direction' things (both good, or both bad), creating an intensified sense of “has everything／lacks everything.” Note the 「ば」 here is listing, not “if”; the paired 「も…も」 stresses “both are so.”

Attachment rules

See it in context

• あの店は値段も安ければ、味もいい。(That shop is both cheap and tasty.)
• 彼は英語も話せば、中国語も話せる。(He speaks both English and Chinese.)
• 最近は雨も降れば、風も強い。(Lately it both rains and blows hard.)
• 彼女は美人でもあれば、頭もいい。(She's both beautiful and smart.)
• 時間もなければ、お金もない。(Neither time nor money.)

⚠️ Easy traps to avoid

① The 「ば」 here is not ‘if,' it's ‘listing.' The biggest trap is translating 「ば」 as “if” on sight. In 「〜も〜ば〜も」 the 「ば」 is a pure listing connector, meaning “both … and …,” with no hypothesis: 頭も良ければ性格もいい = “both smart and good-natured” (not “if he's smart …”). The key test: when there's a 「も…も」 echo and it lists two same-direction facts, this 「ば」 is listing, not condition. Don't let the literal 「ば」 pull you toward “hypothesis.”

② The two items must be ‘same-direction' — both good or both bad, not a contrast. The two items in 「〜も〜ば〜も」 must be same-direction: both merits (安ければ味もいい = both cheap and tasty) or both faults (金もなければ暇もない = neither money nor free time). It's not for contrasting “although … but …” — for a “one good, one bad” twist, use 「〜が」「〜けど」「〜ものの.」 Forcing a merit and a fault together with 「〜も〜ば〜も」 (×頭も良ければ性格も悪い) is unnatural. Remember: same-direction listing, intensifying tone, not adversative.

③ 「〜も〜ば〜も」 is more written and stresses ‘having both' more than 「〜し」. Both 「〜も〜ば〜も」 and 「〜し」 can list reasons/traits, but the feel differs. 「〜し」 is more colloquial, loose, can list just one or several items, often with an “and also” additive feel: 安いし、おいしい (cheap and tasty, said offhand). 「〜も〜ば〜も」 is more written, neatly structured, framing two items with 「も…も」, stressing the ‘has both' listing feel, more formal and stylistic: 値段も安ければ味もいい (both cheap in price and good in taste — like giving an appraisal). For offhand listing use 〜し; to neatly, forcefully say “both … and …” use 〜も〜ば〜も.

🔄 Nuance & comparison: も〜ば〜も／〜し／も〜も／〜たり〜たり

💡 The key point in use

「〜も〜ば〜も」 = both … and … — three points nail it: ① the 「ば」 here is ‘listing,' not ‘if' — see the 「も…ば…も」 echo and it's “both … and …,” don't translate as hypothesis; ② the two items must be ‘same-direction' — both merits or both faults (安ければ味もいい／金もなければ暇もない), not for contrasting one good with one bad; ③ more written and neat than 「〜し」 — for offhand listing use 〜し, to stress “has both” stylistically use も〜ば〜も. Grab the attachment as 「A も …(ば-form), B も …」: い-adj → ければ, verb → えば, noun/な-adj → なら／でもあれば. Introducing someone as 「頭も良ければ性格もいい」 is more vivid than a plain 「いい人」 — it sounds like a considered appraisal.

❓ Quick FAQ

Q: Does the 「ば」 in 「〜も〜ば〜も」 mean hypothesis (if)?

No. The 「ば」 here is a listing connector, meaning “both … and …, not only … but also …,” with no hypothetical “if” sense at all. Japanese 「ば」 has several functions — besides the familiar “hypothetical condition (if ～ then),” there's a listing use: to set two same-direction things side by side, using the 「A も…ば、B も…」 frame. E.g. 「頭も良ければ、性格もいい」 = “both smart and good-natured,” not “if he's smart, then good-natured”; 「金もなければ、暇もない」 = “neither money nor free time,” not “if no money then no time.” The key to telling “listing” from “hypothesis” is whether there's a 「も…も」 echo: when 「も」 frames two items and they're same-direction facts listed together, the 「ば」 is 100% listing, rendered “both … and ….” Without a 「も」 echo, and if the main clause is a “then …” result, then it's a hypothetical condition. So when you see the 「〜も〜ば〜も」 frame, just read it as “both … and …” and you're right.

Q: 「〜も〜ば〜も」 and 「〜し」 both mean ‘both … and …' — when do I use which?

It depends on register and degree of emphasis. Both list traits/reasons, but: 「〜し」 is more colloquial, loose, all-purpose — can list just one (安いし、買おう = it's cheap, let's buy) or several, with an offhand “and also” additive feel, commonest in everyday speech: この店、安いし、近いし、よく行く (this shop is cheap and close, I go often). 「〜も〜ば〜も」 is more written, neatly structured, stylistic — always frames two same-direction things with 「も…も」, stressing the “has both” listing, more formal, common in appraisals, descriptions, formal narration: この街は交通も便利ならば、環境もいい (this city has both convenient transport and a good environment). In short: offhand listing, colloquial → 〜し; neat, emphatic “both … and …,” written → 〜も〜ば〜も. Also, because of its neat structure, 「〜も〜ば〜も」 suits creating the intensified effect of “has everything” or “lacks everything,” e.g. 「泣きもすれば笑いもする (both cries and laughs)」「金もなければ地位もない (neither money nor status)」, with more rhythm and force than a flat 「〜し.」

🖊️ Practice Questions (5)

Q1. 「この店は値段も安けれ___、味もいい。」(both cheap and tasty)

(A) ば　(B) て　(C) から　(D) のに

Q2. 「お金もなければ、時間もない」の意味は?

(A) Have neither money nor time

(B) Have both money and time

(C) Have money but no time

(D) Lack only time

Q3. 「も〜ば〜も」が表すのは?

(A) Both ~ and ~ (parallel examples)

(B) Because ~, therefore

(C) Although ~, yet

(D) Even if ~, still

Q4. 並列する二項は普通?

(A) Same direction (both good or both bad)

(B) Always opposite

(C) Completely unrelated

(D) Mutually contradictory

Q5. 接法が正しいのは?

(A) 歌も歌えば、踊りも踊る。　(B) 歌も歌うば。

(C) 頭もいいば。　(D) お金もないば。

Answer Explanations

1. (A) ば ── 安ければ (い-adjective ＋ ければ).

2. (A) ── Have neither money nor time.

3. (A) ── Both ~ and ~ (parallel).

4. (A) ── Usually the same direction.

5. (A) ── 「歌も歌えば、踊りも踊る」is correct (verb ば-form).