や: 'And' for Incomplete Lists (Meaning + Examples)
What や marks
や marks a list of nouns as examples drawn from a larger group — not the full inventory. It works like English "and," but with an open door: 本やペン means "books, pens, and other stuff," not only those two items. Read it as "things like A and B."
Because it points at a category rather than a closed set, speakers usually reach for や when there's clearly more they aren't bothering to name.
机の上に本やペンがある。
つくえの うえに ほんや ペンが ある。
There are books, pens, and things like that on the desk.
や implies other items are there too.
ヤッタンはりんごやバナナが好きだ。
ヤッタンは りんごや バナナが すきだ。
Yattan likes apples, bananas, and so on.
かばんの中にさいふやかぎが入っている。
かばんの なかに さいふや かぎが はいっている。
There's a wallet, keys, and such in the bag.
や or と — the particle it's confused with
The one contrast to lock in is や against と. Same two nouns, different particle, different meaning: と gives a complete list (exactly these, nothing else), while や leaves the list open.
| Form | Core idea | Example |
|---|---|---|
| パンとたまご | complete list — exactly these two, nothing else | パンとたまごを買った = I bought bread and eggs (just those) |
| パンやたまご | examples — these plus other things | パンやたまごを買った = I bought bread, eggs, and other stuff |
So if you and a friend bought only bread and eggs, say パンとたまご. If those are just a couple of examples from a bigger shopping trip, say パンやたまご. Swapping the two isn't a stylistic choice — it flips whether the list is open or closed. For the full rules on the complete-list particle, see と.
ヤッタンの弟はジュースやおかしばかり買う。
ヤッタンの おとうとは ジュースや おかしばかり かう。
Yattan's little brother only buys juice, snacks, and the like.
休みの日はモチと公園や川へ行く。
やすみの ひは モチと こうえんや かわへ いく。
On days off, I go to the park, the river, and such with Mochi.
と here means 'with Mochi'; や lists places as examples.
Where や sits — and where it slips
や sits between nouns and attaches directly, with no change in form. Add another や for each extra example, and close the list with など ("and so on," "etc.") when you want the open-ended feeling spoken aloud.
| Items | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Two nouns | A や B | 本やペン (books, pens, etc.) |
| Three nouns | A や B や C | 本やペンやノート |
| With "and so on" | A や B など | 本やペンなど |
Two placement points trip learners up. First, や connects nouns only — never verbs or whole sentences; to list actions, N5 learners use the 〜たり pattern instead. Second, など belongs after the last noun, not between every item: 本やペンなど (✓), never 本など や ペン. You don't have to add など — や alone already implies more — but it's very common and sounds natural.
スーパーでパンやたまごなどを買った。
スーパーで パンや たまごなどを かった。
I bought bread, eggs, and other things at the supermarket.
など closes the list with 'and so on.'
先生は漢字やぶんぽうなどを教える。
せんせいは かんじや ぶんぽうなどを おしえる。
The teacher teaches kanji, grammar, and so on.
Watch-outs
- Using や for a complete list. If you mean exactly these items, use と: パンとたまご (only those). や always implies more.
- Listing verbs or sentences with や. や joins nouns only. To list actions, use the 〜たり form, not や.
- Putting など in the wrong spot. など goes after the last noun, not between every item: 本やペンなど (✓), not 本など や ペン.
- Treating や and と as interchangeable. They aren't — swapping them changes whether the list is open or closed.
The short version
- や lists nouns as examples: A や B = "A, B, and things like that."
- It connects nouns only, and attaches with no change in form.
- Often paired with など ("and so on") after the last noun.
- と = complete list; や = open-ended list. Same nouns, different meaning.
Practice it
Choose や or と to fit each list.
＿＿＿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.
机の上に本＿＿＿ペンがある。
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between や and と?
と lists things completely (exactly these and nothing else): パンとたまご = bread and eggs, just those. や lists things as examples, implying others too: パンやたまご = bread, eggs, and other stuff.
Does や connect verbs or only nouns?
Only nouns. や joins noun examples. To list actions, N5 learners use the 〜たり form instead.
Do I have to use など with や?
No. や already implies 'and others,' so など is optional. But adding など ('and so on') after the last noun is very common and sounds natural.
Where does など go in the sentence?
After the final listed noun: 本やペンなど. Don't repeat it between every item.
Where や 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:
- 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.
- どんな — どんな means 'what kind of ~' and always sits before a noun: どんな音楽が好きですか. Learn the こ・そ・あ・ど set, どんな vs どう, and どんな〜でも ('any ~ at all').