と: 'And' (Complete List) and 'With' — Joining Nouns in Japanese
What と marks
と connects nouns, and it does two core jobs. Its first is "and" — but with an important twist: it presents a complete, exhaustive list. When you say パンとたまご, you mean bread and eggs and that's it. Its second job is "with": the person (or thing) you do something together with is marked by と. A third, closely related use pairs と with 同じ/違う to say "same as / different from" (see below).
Two other words look exactly like this と — a quotation と (「…」と言う = "say that…") and a conditional と ("whenever / if A, then B"). They behave differently and are learned as separate patterns; here, と only joins nouns and marks "with."
"And" — a complete list
と means the items it joins are all of them — there is nothing left off the list.
ヤッタンはパンとたまごを買いました。
ヤッタンは パンと たまごを かいました。
Yattan bought bread and eggs.
と lists exactly two things — the complete shopping list.
モチと先生が来ました。
モチと せんせいが きました。
Mochi and the teacher came.
つくえの上に本とペンがあります。
つくえの うえに ほんと ペンが あります。
There are a book and a pen on the desk.
Just those two things are on the desk.
ヤッタンの弟は犬と猫が好きです。
ヤッタンの おとうとは いぬと ねこが すきです。
Yattan's little brother likes dogs and cats.
"With" — doing things together
When you do something together with a person, mark that person with と.
ヤッタンはモチと映画を見ました。
ヤッタンは モチと えいがを みました。
Yattan watched a movie with Mochi.
Here と means 'with' — the partner in the action.
ヤッタンは先生と話しました。
ヤッタンは せんせいと はなしました。
Yattan talked with the teacher.
モチは弟と公園へ行きました。
モチは おとうとと こうえんへ いきました。
Mochi went to the park with Yattan's little brother.
To stress "together with," add 一緒に (いっしょに): ヤッタンはモチと一緒にごはんを食べた ("Yattan ate with Mochi"). The と is still the key word; 一緒に just adds warmth.
と or や — the particle it's confused with
This is the contrast to remember. と lists everything; や lists examples and quietly implies "and others / and so on." If you say かばんの中にペンと本があります, the bag holds exactly a pen and a book. Switch to や — ペンや本があります — and you mean "a pen, a book, and other stuff too." So と is exhaustive, や is a sample. (や is its own N5 point; just know that it is the open-ended cousin of と.)
Where と sits
と goes directly between the nouns it joins, or directly after the person you do something with — no conjugation, and no extra particle before it.
| Use | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| "and" (complete list) | Noun と Noun | パンとたまご (bread and eggs) |
| "with" someone | Person と + verb | モチと話す (talk with Mochi) |
| "same as" | A は B と同じ | これと同じ (the same as this) |
| "different from" | A は B と違う | これと違う (different from this) |
The list can hold more than two nouns — just put と between each pair: パンとたまごと牛乳 ("bread, eggs, and milk").
For 〜と同じ / 〜と違う, name the thing you are comparing to, mark it with と, then add 同じ ("same") or 違う ("different"). When you compare against a noun, keep the の that stands in for it: モチのと同じ ("the same as Mochi's").
ヤッタンのかばんはモチのと同じです。
ヤッタンの かばんは モチのと おなじです。
Yattan's bag is the same as Mochi's.
この答えは先生のと違います。
この こたえは せんせいのと ちがいます。
This answer is different from the teacher's.
と marks the thing you compare against.
For comparisons of degree ("bigger than," "more than"), Japanese uses a different particle, より — see 〜より.
Watch-outs
- Using と for an open list. If you mean "…and other things," use や, not と. と claims the list is complete.
- Marking the action partner with the wrong particle. "With Mochi" is モチと, not モチで. で marks tools or places, not the person you're with.
- Joining whole sentences or verbs with と. Noun-linking と connects nouns only. To join actions, use the て-form: 食べて、寝る — see the て-form.
- Forgetting the の before 同じ/違う. Compare against a noun: モチのと同じ ("the same as Mochi's"), where の stands in for the repeated noun.
The short version
- A と B = "and," and it means the list is complete (nothing left out).
- Person と = "with" someone; add 一緒に to stress "together."
- 〜と同じ / 〜と違う = "the same as / different from."
- For an open "and so on," use や; for "more than," use より.
- Noun-linking と joins nouns only — not verbs or sentences.
Practice it
Choose と or や, and pick the right use of と (and / with / same / different).
＿＿＿に入れるのに最もよいものを選びなさい。
Choose the grammar pattern that best completes the sentence.
ヤッタンはパン＿＿＿たまごを買いました。
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between と and や?
と joins a complete list — パンとたまご means exactly bread and eggs. や joins examples and implies 'and so on' — パンやたまご means bread, eggs, and other things too.
How do I say 'with' someone in Japanese?
Mark the person with と and add your verb: モチと話す ('talk with Mochi'). To emphasize 'together,' add 一緒に: モチと一緒に行く.
Can と join verbs or whole sentences?
Not this と. The noun-linking と connects nouns only. To link actions, use the て-form (食べて、寝る). There is a separate conditional と, but that's a different pattern.
How do I say something is the same as / different from something else?
Use 〜と同じ ('same as') or 〜と違う ('different from'): これと同じ, これと違う. The thing you compare against is marked with と.
Where と fits
Don't confuse it with
- を · N5 — を marks the direct object of a verb (パンを食べる), the path you move along (道を歩く), and the place you leave (家を出る). Learn all three uses with examples.
- で · N5 — The particle で marks where an action happens, the means or tool you use, the material, the cause, and the scope of a superlative. Learn each use and how で differs from に.
- 〜より / 〜のほうが · N5 — より means 'than' and のほうが marks the bigger side: BよりAのほうが高い = 'A is taller than B.' Learn both frames, how to answer どちらが questions, and word order.
Hear it in a real conversation
See this pattern used naturally in a real-situation dialogue:
More N5 grammar to explore
Keep going with related patterns at the same level:
- や — The particle や lists nouns as examples, not a full set: 本やペンがある ('books, pens, and such'). Learn how や differs from と, and how to pair it with など.
- の — の links nouns (A's B), replaces a noun ('the red one'), turns verbs into nouns (走るのが速い), and softens casual questions (どうしたの?). Learn all four uses.
- 〜なければならない — 〜なければならない means 'must' or 'have to' in Japanese. Learn the ない-form formation, the polite なりません, casual なきゃ, the なくてはいけない variant, and the opposite なくてもいい.
- 〜なくてもいい — 〜なくてもいい means 'don't have to' or 'it's okay not to.' Learn to build it from a verb's ない-form, use it with adjectives and nouns, and tell it apart from 'must' and 'may.'
- 〜てもいい — 〜てもいい means 'it's okay to' or 'may': verb て-form + もいい(です). Learn to ask permission with 〜てもいいですか, reply naturally, and use 〜てもかまいません.
- です — です is the polite 'to be': NOUN/な-adjective + です means 'is/are.' Learn the negative じゃありません, past でした, how です attaches to い-adjectives, and the plain だ.