In English, "apples and pears" could mean just those two, or it could imply there's more. Japanese makes the distinction explicit: と means "these are all of them," や means "these are just examples."
と: Exhaustive Listing (A and B)
You've already learned と, which lists everything:
りんごと梨を買いました。 → I bought apples and pears. (just those two)
や: Partial Listing (Things Like A and B...)
や lists a few examples, implying there's more you haven't mentioned:
りんごや梨があります。 → There are things like apples and pears (among other things).
| と (exhaustive) | や (partial) |
|---|---|
| りんごと梨を買いました。 | りんごや梨を買いました。 |
| I bought apples and pears. (only these) | I bought apples, pears, and such. (maybe more) |
Using や
Place や between nouns to list two or more examples:
A や B (や C ...)
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| りんごや梨があります。 | There are apples, pears, and so on. |
| 日本語や英語を勉強しています。 | I'm studying Japanese, English, and such. |
| 東京や大阪へ行きました。 | I went to places like Tokyo and Osaka. |
など: "Et Cetera"
など goes after the last item in a list and means "etc." — explicitly signaling that there's more:
りんごや梨などがあります。 → There are apples, pears, etc.
| Usage | Example | English |
|---|---|---|
| や + など | りんごや梨などがあります。 | There are apples, pears, etc. |
| など alone | りんごなどがあります。 | There are apples and such. |
How や and など Work Together
- や alone: implies there's more → りんごや梨があります
- や + など: explicitly says there's more → りんごや梨などがあります
- など alone: gives just one example + etc. → りんごなどがあります
All three convey similar meanings with slightly different nuances:
| Expression | Feel |
|---|---|
| りんごや梨があります | There are apples, pears, and the like (implies more) |
| りんごや梨などがあります | There are apples, pears, etc. (explicitly says more) |
| りんごなどがあります | There are apples and such (just one example given) |
と vs や: How to Choose
Listing everything → use と Giving examples → use や
| Situation | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Listing all items precisely | と | 日本語と英語を話します。(I speak Japanese and English — just those two) |
| Giving representative examples | や | 日本語や英語を勉強しています。(I study Japanese, English, etc. — maybe more) |
Wrap-Up
- と = exhaustive listing (A and B, that's all)
- や = partial listing (things like A and B, and possibly more)
- など = "etc." Can be used with や (や...など) or alone
- Not sure if you've listed everything? → Use や (safer)
- Certain it's only these items? → Use と
Practice
Q1. Rewrite using や and など: 「りんごとみかんと梨を買いました。」 — to suggest you bought other things too.
Show Answer
りんごやみかんや梨などを買いました。
Or more concisely: りんごやみかんなどを買いました。
Use や for partial listing and add など to explicitly signal "and more."
Q2. What does 「コーヒーや紅茶を飲みます」 mean? How is it different from 「コーヒーと紅茶を飲みます」?
Show Answer
- コーヒーや紅茶を飲みます = I drink things like coffee and tea. (might drink other things too)
- コーヒーと紅茶を飲みます = I drink coffee and tea. (just those two)
や is partial listing (more possible), と is exhaustive (that's all).
Q3. How do you say "There are apples and such" using only one example and など?
Show Answer
りんごなどがあります。
With just one example, put など directly after the noun — no need for や.