Japanese grammar · ≈ JLPT N5 · Beginner 1
〜や〜など~ ya ~ nado
examples among several items
Use 「〜や〜など」 to give a few examples from a larger, unstated set.
How it works

What do you do on days off? Look at the picture and choose two activities to tell a friend about.

「料理や掃除など」 gives just a few examples. You do not have to name every activity.

「や」 joins two or more nouns. Here, cooking and cleaning are expressed as nouns naming activities.

「など」 comes after the last noun and means “and so on”: 料理や掃除など.

To say you do these activities, add 「をします」 after the whole phrase: 料理や掃除などをします.

You can leave out 「など」. 読書や運動をします still gives examples of activities.

The 「と」 you learned joins nouns in a list. 「や」 focuses on giving examples; it does not mean choosing one of two options.
Example sentences
- 読書dokushoやya運動undouをoしますshimasu
I do things like reading and exercising.
In a conversation

- A休みの日は何をしますか。
A: What do you do on your days off?
- B料理や掃除などを
Check yourself
Level 1 · Recognise
Which sentence is correct?
Level 1 · Recognise
Listen and choose the meaning
Level 2 · Build
Put the words in order
On days off, I cook, clean, and so on.
Level 3 · Use
What goes in the blank?
昼ごはんは、カレー を食べます。
For lunch, I eat things like curry and salad.
More grammar in this theme
- 〜や〜などexamples among several items