GrammarJLPT N5
→ et cetera
Et cetera / And so on / The likes of
JLPT N5Particle
など is a particle placed after a noun or a list of nouns to indicate that the items mentioned are representative examples rather than an exhaustive list, much like saying "et cetera," "and so on," or "such as" in English. It belongs to a neutral-to-formal register and is very common in both spoken and written Japanese. In casual speech, など often becomes なんか or なんて, which carry a more colloquial or even dismissive/self-deprecating tone. Compared to the particle や, which also lists non-exhaustive examples (A や B), など can be added after や to further emphasize that the list is incomplete (A や B など). Additionally, など can follow a single noun to mean "something like" or "the likes of," sometimes with a nuance of humility or belittlement depending on context. It is typically followed by particles like を, が, or に, or it can directly precede a verb or the copula.
Functions
#1 Listing non-exhaustive examples
Structure
Noun₁ や Noun₂ など
りんごなどのくだものが好きです。
Here など follows the noun りんご to indicate that apples are just one example among other fruits the speaker likes. The listener understands that the list is not complete and that the speaker enjoys other fruits too. This is the most common and straightforward use of など.I like fruits such as apples.
Structures
- After a noun (single example)
- Noun + など
- After a list with や
- Noun₁ + や + Noun₂ + など
Common mistakes
A common mistake is confusing など with や and thinking they are interchangeable. While both indicate non-exhaustive lists, や connects nouns (A や B), whereas など comes after the last item or a single item. They are often used together as A や B など. Another frequent error is using など in very casual conversation where なんか or とか would sound more natural, since など can feel stiff in relaxed settings. Learners also sometimes miss the belittling or humble nuance when など follows a single noun, interpreting it only as "et cetera" when the speaker actually means "something as insignificant as." Finally, be careful with particle order: など comes directly after the noun, and case particles like を, が, or に follow after など, not before it.
Related
とかやなんかなんてといった