GrammarJLPT N5
→ listing particle
Listing Examples (Such Things As / And)
JLPT N5ParticleNeutral
The particle や is used to connect two or more nouns to present a non-exhaustive list, meaning "things like A and B (among others)." Unlike the particle と, which creates a complete, closed list of all items, や implies that the items mentioned are just representative examples and that other similar items exist but are not stated. It is frequently paired with など at the end of the list to further emphasize that the list is incomplete, forming the pattern や…など. This particle can only connect nouns; it cannot be used between verbs, adjectives, or clauses. For listing actions or states non-exhaustively, たり〜たりする is used instead. In casual spoken Japanese, とか serves a similar non-exhaustive listing function and is increasingly common, but や remains standard in both spoken and written registers.
Examples
Example #1
りんごやバナナを 買いました。
Here や connects two nouns, りんご and バナナ, to indicate a non-exhaustive list. The speaker bought apples and bananas, but the use of や rather than と implies they may have bought other fruits or items as well. The listener understands these are just examples from a larger set of purchases.I bought things like apples and bananas.
Structures
- Noun listing
- Noun₁ + や + Noun₂ + (や + Noun₃ + …) + (など)
Common mistakes
A very common mistake is using や between verbs or adjectives; や can only connect nouns. To list actions non-exhaustively, use たり〜たりする instead. Another frequent error is confusing や with と. Using と means the list is complete and nothing else is implied, while や always suggests there are additional unlisted items. Learners sometimes place や after the last noun before the particle が or を, such as saying 「りんごやバナナやを買った」, but や should only appear between nouns, not after the final one. Finally, some learners overuse など together with や; while や…など is natural and common, など is optional and や alone already conveys the non-exhaustive meaning.
Related
ととかなどやらたり〜たりする