〜と一緒に: How to Say 'Together With' in Japanese
What と marks here
The particle と marks your companion — the person or thing you do the action with. 一緒に (いっしょに, "together") rides along as an adverb, making the togetherness explicit and a touch warmer. Structurally, a noun takes と, then 一緒に, then the verb:
| Piece | Role | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun (companion) | who you're with | モチ |
| と | "with" particle | モチと |
| 一緒に | "together" | モチと一緒に |
| Verb | the shared action | モチと一緒に勉強する |
The noun before と is always your companion, never the thing being acted on — モチと一緒に勉強する is "study together with Mochi," not "study Mochi."
ヤッタンはモチと一緒に勉強します。
ヤッタンは モチと いっしょに べんきょうします。
Yattan studies together with Mochi.
家族と一緒に旅行したいです。
かぞくと いっしょに りょこうしたいです。
I want to travel together with my family.
と一緒に pairs naturally with 〜たい.
弟と一緒に公園で遊びました。
おとうとと いっしょに こうえんで あそびました。
I played in the park together with my little brother.
と一緒に vs. plain と
The particle it's most easily confused with is と by itself. You can often mark a companion with と alone — モチと勉強する already means "study with Mochi." So why add 一緒に?
| Form | Core idea | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 〜と | with (companion) — neutral | モチと勉強する = study with Mochi |
| 〜と一緒に | together with — emphasizes doing it side by side | モチと一緒に勉強する = study together with Mochi |
Both are correct. Adding 一緒に highlights the togetherness, so it feels a little warmer and more deliberate. For more on the companion (and listing) uses of と on its own, see 〜と.
Where 一緒に sits — and when と drops out
Because 一緒に is an adverb, it belongs right before the verb: 家族と一緒に旅行する flows, while 一緒に家族と旅行する sounds scrambled. And when it's already clear who you're with, you can drop the 〜と entirely and just say 一緒に = "together":
一緒に行こう！
いっしょに いこう！
Let's go together!
一緒に alone — no companion named because it's obvious.
先生も一緒に食べました。
せんせいも いっしょに たべました。
The teacher ate together with us, too.
This is extremely common in everyday speech: 一緒にやろう ("let's do it together"), 一緒に帰る ("go home together").
In use
モチと一緒に映画を見に行きます。
モチと いっしょに えいがを みに いきます。
I'm going to see a movie together with Mochi.
ヤッタンの弟は犬と一緒に寝ます。
ヤッタンの おとうとは いぬと いっしょに ねます。
Yattan's little brother sleeps together with the dog.
The companion can be a thing or animal, not only a person.
みんなと一緒に写真を撮りましょう。
みんなと いっしょに しゃしんを とりましょう。
Let's take a photo together with everyone.
Watch-outs
- Marking the companion with を or に instead of と. It's モチと一緒に, not モチを一緒に or モチに一緒に.
- Forgetting 一緒 is read いっしょ. It's not いちしょ or いっしょう — small つ, short お.
- Putting 一緒に in the wrong spot. It goes right before the verb: 家族と一緒に旅行する, not 一緒に家族と旅行する (this last one sounds off).
- Thinking you must use と. When the companion is obvious, plain 一緒に is natural on its own: 一緒に行こう.
The short version
- [person] と一緒に = "together with [person]"; the companion takes と.
- 一緒に alone = "together," used when the companion is already clear.
- It's a warmer, more emphatic version of plain と marking a companion.
- 一緒に sits right before the verb.
Practice it
Choose the correct particle and placement for と一緒に.
＿＿＿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.
＿＿＿映画を見ました。
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between と and と一緒に?
Both mark a companion: モチと勉強する and モチと一緒に勉強する both mean 'study with Mochi.' Adding 一緒に ('together') emphasizes that you're doing it side by side, so it feels a bit warmer and more deliberate.
Which particle marks the person I'm with?
Use と: 家族と一緒に旅行する ('travel together with family'). Not を or に.
Can I use 一緒に without と?
Yes. When it's already clear who you're with, just say 一緒に: 一緒に行こう ('let's go together'). This is very common in casual speech.
How is 一緒に read?
It's read いっしょに — a small っ (double consonant) and a short しょ. Don't lengthen it to いっしょう.
Where 〜と一緒に fits
Don't confuse it with
- と · N5 — The particle と joins nouns into a complete list ('A and B'), means 'with' someone, and pairs with 同じ/違う for comparisons. Learn how と differs from や.
More N5 grammar to explore
Keep going with related patterns at the same level:
- 〜と思う — 〜と思う lets you say what you think: [plain form] + と思う. Learn the quotative と, why the clause stays plain, the 〜ようと思う 'I'm thinking of doing' use, and 〜と思っている.
- 〜とき — とき(時) means 'when' in Japanese: attach plain form + とき. Learn noun+の, な-adj+な, plain verbs, and the key 行くとき vs 行ったとき tense difference.
- で — 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.
- が — が marks the grammatical subject and introduces new information. Learn how to use が with question words, existence (ある/いる), ability, and likes such as 好き — plus how が differs from は.
- に vs へ — に and へ both mark where you're going: 学校に行く / 学校へ行く. Learn the small nuance, why へ is read 'e', and how に also marks points in time like 7時に.
- は — は marks the topic of a sentence — 'as for X.' Learn how it flags known information, its contrast use, why it's read 'wa,' and how it differs from が.