や

Non-exhaustive Listing

Level 1Sounds Like ya

The particle や is used to list two or more nouns. Unlike the particle と (which lists everything), や suggests that the items you are naming are just examples and that there are other things not mentioned.

How It Works

The particle や is a fundamental tool for providing examples without listing every single item in a category.

1. Non-Exhaustive Nature:
When you use と, you are saying 'A and B (and nothing else).' When you use や, you are saying 'A and B (for example).' This is very useful when a full list would be too long or unnecessary. The nouns you choose to list should be representative examples of the group you are describing.

2. Usage with Nouns:
や only attaches to nouns. It is placed between the nouns you are listing: [Noun A] や [Noun B]. Crucially, や cannot follow the final noun in the list; it only appears between items.

3. Pairing with など:
It is very common to see や paired with など (etc.) at the end of the list to further emphasize that the list is incomplete. For example: 'A や B など.'

4. Register:
や is standard Japanese but leans toward more formal speech and written contexts. In casual conversation, people often use とか instead.

Examples (4)

  1. 机の上に本やペンがあります。

    There are books and pens (among other things) on the desk.

    Word by Word: Desk of top on books and pens exist.

    Using や implies there might also be an eraser, a ruler, or a notebook on the desk, but the speaker is only mentioning the books and pens as examples.

  2. 週末はデパートで服や靴を買いました。

    I bought things like clothes and shoes at the department store over the weekend.

    Word by Word: Weekend as-for department-store at clothes and shoes bought.

    The speaker bought clothes and shoes, but likely bought other small items as well.

  3. 京都や大阪などへ行きたいです。

    I want to go to places like Kyoto and Osaka.

    Word by Word: Kyoto and Osaka etc. to want-to-go is.

    Here, や is paired with など to clearly show that Kyoto and Osaka are just two examples of places the speaker wants to visit.

  4. かばんの中に財布や鍵が入っています。

    There are things like a wallet and keys in the bag.

    Word by Word: Bag of inside in wallet and keys are-entered.

    This suggests the bag contains a wallet, keys, and probably other items like a phone or tissues.

Common Mistakes

  • Using や after the final noun in a list.

    りんごやバナナやを買いました。
    りんごやバナナを買いました。

    Unlike the casual particle とか, や can only be placed between nouns. It should never follow the last item in your list.

  • Using や for a complete, closed list.

    休みは土曜日や日曜日です。
    休みは土曜日と日曜日です。

    If your days off are only Saturday and Sunday, you must use と. Using や suggests you have other days off that you aren't mentioning, which would be confusing.

  • Using や to connect verbs directly.

    食べるや飲む。
    食べたり飲んだりします。

    や can only connect nouns. To list actions (verbs) as examples, you must use the たり〜たり pattern.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

やLevel 1Non-exhaustive Listing

Learn This First

To understand 'や', you should first be familiar with basic noun-linking using 'と' and have a grasp of basic Japanese sentence structure. 'や' is used similarly to 'と' but implies that the list is not exhaustive.

Words in This Pattern