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HOW TO SAY AND IN JAPANESE
Welcome to a beginner lesson on how to say “and” in Japanese.
We’ll teach you various ways to express “and” in Japanese, with multiple examples to help you understand how to form sentences.
AND IN JAPANESE WITH と
と to
In Japanese, there are several ways to express the conjunction “and” depending on the context and the relationship between the connected elements.
The particle と is used to connect nouns or noun phrases that are being compared or are in a partnership.
This is probably the simplest way to convey “and” and one you’ll use all the time.
PATTERN
Noun 1 + と + Noun 2
彼女は猫と犬を飼っている
She has a cat and a dog as pets.彼女は水泳とテニスが得意だ
She is good at swimming & tennis.View More Phrases
| JAPANESE | ROMAJI | ENGLISH |
|---|---|---|
| 私は朝ご飯にパンとコーヒーを食べる。 | Watashi wa asagohan ni pan to kouhii wo taberu. | I eat bread and coffee for breakfast. |
| ハリーポッターとスターウォーズが好き。 | Harīpottā to sutāuōzu ga suki. | He likes Harry Potter and Star Wars. |
| 日本に行くと、寿司とラーメンを食べたい。 | Nihon ni iku to, sushi to raamen wo tabetai. | When I go to Japan, I want to eat sushi and ramen. |
| 私はピアノとギターを弾くことができる。 | Watashi wa piano to gitaa wo hiku koto ga dekiru. | I can play the piano and guitar. |
| 外国語を勉強すると、日本語と英語がおすすめだ。 | Gaikokugo wo benkyou suru to, nihongo to eigo ga osusume da. | When studying a foreign language, Japanese and English are recommended. |
| 彼は自転車とバスで通勤している。 | Kare wa jitensha to basu de tsuukin shite iru. | He commutes to work by bicycle and bus. |
| 私はバナナとりんごを買ってきた。 | Watashi wa banana to ringo wo katte kita. | I bought bananas and apples. |
| 子供たちは公園で遊んで、ボールとジャンプロープで遊んだ。 | Kodomotachi wa kouen de asonde, booru to janpu roopu de asonda. | The children played at the park and played with a ball and jump rope. |
AND IN JAPANESE WITH て TE-FORM
The て te-form is a very common way to connect two verbs.
Making the て te-form is a lesson in itself, and one I’m sure you’ve looked at before, but we’ll outline the process here.
| VERB TYPE | TO DO | EXAMPLES |
|---|---|---|
| Ichidan verbs | Add て te to the verb stem | 食べる taberu (to eat) 起きるokiru (to wake up) 閉じるtojiru (to close) |
| Verbs ending inう u, つ tsu, or る ru | Replace the ending with って tte | 会う au (to meet) becomes 会って atte 立つ tatsu (to stand) becomes 立って tatte |
| Verbs ending in ぬ nu, ぶ bu, or む mu | Replace the ending with んで nde | 飲む nomu (to drink) becomes 飲んで nonde |
| Verbs ending in すsu | Replaceすsu with してshite | 話す hanasu (to speak) becomes 話して hanashite |
| Verbs ending in くku | Replace く ku with いて ite | 書く kaku (to write) becomes書いて kaite |
| Verbs ending in ぐ gu | Replace ぐ gu with いで ide | 泳ぐ oyogu (to swim) becomes 泳いで oyoide |
NOTE || Be careful with some important irregular verb conjugations like 行って itte (to go), 来てkite (to come), and してshite (to do).
You’ll have to learn how to use them individually.
EXAMPLES OF て LINKING VERBS
| JAPANESE | ROMAJI | ENGLISH |
|---|---|---|
| 本を読んで昼ごはんを食べました。 | Hon wo yonde hirugohan wo tabemashita. | I read a book and had lunch. |
| 宿題をしてテレビを見ます。 | Shukudai wo shite terebi wo mimasu. | I will do my homework and watch TV. |
| 雨が降っているので、家にいて読書をします。 | Ame ga futteiru node, ie ni ite dokusho wo shimasu. | It’s raining, so I’m staying home and reading a book. |
| お風呂に入って寝ます。 | Ofuro ni haitte nemasu. | I will take a bath and go to bed. |
| 洋服を買って靴も買いました。 | Youfuku wo katte kutsu mo kaimashita. | I bought clothes and shoes. |
| 散歩して花を見ました。 | Sanpo shite hana wo mimashita. | I went for a walk and saw some flowers. |
| 料理をして食べます。 | Ryouri wo shite tabemasu. | I will cook and eat. |
| パンを焼いてジュースを飲みました。 | Pan wo yaite juusu wo nomimashita. | I baked bread and drank juice. |
| 朝ごはんを食べて歯を磨きました。 | Asagohan wo tabete ha wo migakimashita. | I ate breakfast and brushed my teeth. |
| プレゼントを買って友達に会いに行きます。 | Purezento wo katte tomodachi ni ai ni ikimasu. | I will buy a present and go to see my friend. |
Some important notes:
- You can also use the て te-form to act as “and” with adjectives.
- For な na-adjectives you just add でde to the adjective.
- For i-adjectives you take off the final いi and addくて kute.
EXAMPLES OF て LINKING ADJECTIVES
| JAPANESE | ROMAJI | ENGLISH |
|---|---|---|
| 便利で安い | Benri de yasui. | Convenient and cheap |
| 静かで広い | Shizuka de hiroi. | Quiet and spacious |
| 高くて新しい | Takakute atarashii. | Expensive and new |
| 美しくて知的 | Utsukushikute chiteki. | Beautiful and intelligent |
| 難しくて面白い | Muzukashikute omoshiroi. | Difficult and interesting |
| 暑くて湿度が高い | Atsukute shitsudo ga takai. | Hot and humid |
| 軽くて速い | Karukute hayai. | Light and fast |
| 忙しくて疲れた | Isogashikute tsukareta. | Busy and tired |
| 楽しくて短い | Tanoshikute mijikai. | Fun and short |
| 甘くて美味しい | Amakute oishii. | Sweet and delicious |
AND IN JAPANESE WITH し
し shi
The particle し is used to connect nouns, adjectives, or verb phrases that are in a list or series.
This adds emphasis and can be thought of as being like “not only… but … too” in English.
この映画は面白いし、感動的だし、必見だ。
This movie is both interesting and moving, and a must-see.View More Phrases
| JAPANESE | ROMAJI | ENGLISH |
|---|---|---|
| 花子は優しいし、かわいいし、スマートだ。 | Hanako wa yasashii shi, kawaii shi, sumaatoda. | Hanako is kind, cute, and smart. |
| 前にも進めないし後ろにも下がれない。 | Mae ni mo susumenai shi ushiro ni mo sagarenai. | I can’t go forward, and can’t go back. |
| あの店のラーメンは辛いし、美味しいし、一度食べてみるべきだ。 | Ano mise no raamen wa karai shi, oishii shi, ichido tabete miru beki da. | The ramen at that restaurant is spicy, delicious, and worth trying at least once. |
| 彼女はきれいし、頭がいいし、料理がうまい。 | Kanojo wa kirei shi, atama ga ii shi, ryouri ga umai. | She is beautiful, smart, and good at cooking. |
| 彼女は疲れている。頭痛がするし、背中も痛い。 | Kanojo wa tsukarete iru. zutsuu ga suru shi, senaka mo itai. | She’s tired. She has a headache. She has a backache. |
| この音楽はリズミカルで楽しいし、感動的でもある。 | Kono ongaku wa rizumikaru de tanoshii shi, kandouteki demo aru. | This music is both rhythmic and enjoyable, and also moving. |
| 彼は仕事ができるし、人望がある。 | Kare wa shigoto ga dekiru shi, jinbou ga aru. | He is capable at work and has charisma. |
| それは誰にもわからいし、誰も発見さえしていないことです。 | Sore wa dare ni mo wakarai shi, daremo hakken sae shite inai koto desu. | That’s what nobody knew or ever found out. |
| わたしたちは皆、金持になりたいし、車を買いたいですよね。 | Watashitachi wa mina, kanemochi ni naritai shi, kuruma o kaitai desu yo ne. | We all wish to be rich and to buy cars. |
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FAQs
How do you say and in Japanese?
The particle と (to) is used to connect nouns or noun phrases that are being compared or are in a partnership.
This is probably the simplest way to convey “and” and one you’ll use all the time.
彼女は猫と犬を飼っている。
Kanojo wa neko to inu wo katte iru.
She has a cat and a dog as pets.
彼は自転車とバスで通勤している。
Kare wa jitensha to basu de tsuukin shite iru.
He commutes to work by bicycle and bus.
What is the most basic Japanese sentence?
The most basic Japanese sentence structure is:
Subject + は + Object + です.
This sentence structure is used for generalised things or stating facts.
What are some basic Japanese particles?
Some of the basic Japanese particles you should know about early in your studies are:
The Topic Marker は
The Question Particle か
The Possessive Particle の
The Addition Marker も
The Direct Object Marker を
The Connecting Particles と and や
You can learn all about them in our guide, with examples!
What is the Japanese question marker?
か (ka) is used just like a question mark at the end of a sentence to make a question.
Any sentence can be turned into a question if か is added at the end.
Did you know?
The question mark as we know it, “?”, is never used in the Japanese Language
Learn more about asking questions in Japanese here.
Can I learn Japanese online with LTL?
Absolutely! We offer online Japanese lessons on our Flexi Classes platform.
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Can I learn Japanese in Japan with LTL?
Yes you can!
We offer group and individual classes in Tokyo, for the duration of your choice.
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