也 (yě) is the standard additive adverb in Mandarin, equivalent to "also" or "too" in English. Unlike English where "too" typically appears at the end of a sentence, 也 must be placed directly before the verb or adjective it modifies. It cannot appear at the end of a clause.

也 differs from 还 (hái, also/still) in that 也 emphasises addition or similarity (a second entity sharing the same predicate), while 还 more often means "in addition" or "still." In formal and written contexts 也 can take on a concessive meaning ("even if... also..."), as in 再忙也要吃饭 ("No matter how busy, one must still eat").