Japanese Grammar Bank

HOW TO USE や & とか

Japanese has several different listing particles.

They are similar, but slightly different.

Let’s learn how to use や and とか to list multiple things.

Are you ready? Here we go!

や TO LIST THINGS AS AN EXAMPLE

The first point we want to learn is how to use や.

It is used to list a number of things or people, but や doesn’t list everything.

It implies that the things you mentioned are just a few things from a longer list, and there are other things unlisted.

If you want to list more than two items, you can simply repeat や and continue the sentence.

PATTERN

Noun + や + Noun
Noun + や + Noun + や + Noun

私は毎朝朝食にバナナやリンゴを食べます。Watashi wa maiasa choushoku ni banana ya ringo wo tabe masu.I eat bananas and apples for breakfast every morning.
私の勉強机の上には学校の教科書やノートがあります。Watashi no benkyou zukue no ue niwa gakko no kyoukasho ya nooto ga ari masu.There are things like school textbooks and notebooks on my desk.
高校で英語や歴史を勉強しています。Koukou de eigo ya rekishi wo benkyou shite imasu.I am studying subjects like English and history in high school.
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日本食レストランでお寿司やとんかつを食べました。Nihonshoku resutoran de osushi ya tonkatsu wo tabe mashita.I ate things like sushi and tonkatsu at a Japanese restaurant.
お腹が痛い時にはバナナやリンゴを食べるといいですよ。Onaka ga itai toki niwa banana yar ingo wo taberu to ii desu yo.It is good to eat something like bananas and apples when you have stomach ache.
台所には鍋やフライパンやケトルがあります。Daidokoro niwa nabe ya huraipan ya ketoru ga ari masu.There are items like a pot, frying pan, and kettle in the kitchen.

NOTE || や can also be used to list noun phrases.

Watashi no shumi wa ongaku wo kiku koto ya eiga wo miru koto desu.

私の趣味は音楽を聴くことや映画を見ることです。

My hobby is things like listening to music and watching movies.

とか TO LIST THINGS AS AN EXAMPLE

Let’s move on to the next listing particle: とか.

It is almost the same as や, but it sounds more casual than や.

PATTERN

Noun + とか + Noun
Noun + とか + Noun + とか + Noun

有名な日本料理はお寿司とか天ぷらだと思います。Yuumei na nihon ryouri wa osushi toka tempura da to omoi masu.I think famous Japanese foods are things like sushi and tempura.
数学とか物理はとても難しい教科です。Suugaku toka butsuri wa totemo muzukashii kyouka desu.Subjects like mathematic and physics are very difficult.
サムライとか忍者は今の世界には存在しません。Samurai toka ninja wa ima no sekai niwa sonzai shimasen.Samurai and ninja don’t exist in the present world.
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クッキーとかビスケットはコーヒーによくあいます。Kukkii toka bisuketto wa koohii ni yoku ai masu.Things like cookies and biscuits go well with coffee.
休みの日には野球とかテニスなどのスポーツをします。Yasumi no hi niwa yakyuu toka tenisu nado no supootsu wo shimasu.When I have an off day, I play sports like baseball and tennis.
うちのカレーには鶏肉とかにんじんとかきのこが入っています。Uchi no karee niwa toriniku toka ninjin toka kinoko ga haitte imasu.We put things like chicken, carrots, and mushrooms when we cook curry.

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FAQs

What is the difference between や and とか?

や is more formal and often used in writing or polite speech to list representative items.

とか is casual and frequently used in everyday conversations, giving a less definitive or more open-ended feel to the list.

Can や and とか be used interchangeably?

While both can be used to list examples, they are not always interchangeable.

や is preferred in formal settings, while とか is better suited for casual, conversational contexts.

Are there any restrictions when using や and とか?

Both are typically used with nouns or noun phrases.

They cannot be used to connect verbs or adjectives directly, which require different conjunctions like たり for verbs or し for adjectives.

Can とか and や be used in the same sentence?

Yes, they can be combined to emphasize a casual and illustrative list, e.g., “本とか、漫画や映画を読むのが好きです。

” However, this is rare and can feel redundant.

How do I know when to use や?

Use や when listing multiple items as examples, implying there are more not mentioned.

と lists all items explicitly, and など adds a nuance of “and so on” or “etc.”

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