Happy Sunday Japanophiles, Herewith the 24th issue of the Hai Japan Newsletter — your Weekly Dose of Japan!

Today, we’re simply going through some grammar:

Particle や (ya) (From Tofugo.com)

The particle や (ya) is used to list multiple items (usually two or three) as examples, implying that there are more items on the list that haven't been mentioned. 🇯🇵 

Table of Contents

• The Basics

• Patterns of Use

• Noun + や + Noun

• Beyond the Basics

• Quantity + や + Quantity

The Basics

The particle や (ya) joins two or more nouns to present them as examples, indicating that there are more items not mentioned.

For example, if you're at a farmer's market and your teacher asks what you bought, you could say:

トマトやバナナやストロベリーです。 Tomato ya banana ya strawberry desu. I've got tomatoes, bananas, strawberries, and so on.

This usage implies that there are more items in your basket that you haven't listed.

In speech, や (ya) can be replaced with the colloquial とか (toka). If you were talking to a friend instead of a teacher, you might say:

トマトとかバナナとかストロベリーだよ。 Tomato toka banana toka strawberry da yo. I've got tomatoes, bananas, strawberries, and so on.

Differences between や and と

The particle や (ya) is used for incomplete lists, while と (to) is used for exhaustive lists. For example:

トマトとバナナとストロベリーだよ。 Tomato to banana to strawberry da yo. I've got tomatoes, bananas, and strawberries.

Patterns of Use

Noun + や + Noun

や (ya) is used to list two or more nouns. For instance, to describe what's on a desk, you can say:

デスクには、ペンや本がある。 Desuku ni wa, pen ya hon ga aru. There are things like pens and books on the desk.

To list more than two items, simply repeat や (ya):

デスクには、ペンや本やハサミがある。 Desuku ni wa, pen ya hon ya hasami ga aru. There are things like pens, books, and scissors on the desk.

や (ya) can also combine longer noun phrases. For example:

私は [本を読むこと] や [音楽を聴くこと] が好きだ。 Watashi wa [hon o yomu koto] ya [ongaku o kiku koto] ga suki da. I like things like reading books and listening to music.

When listing verbs or adjectives without turning them into noun phrases, use たり (tari) instead of や (ya):

日曜日は、本を読んだり音楽を聴いたりしていた。 Nichiyoubi wa, hon o yondari ongaku o kiitari shiteita. On Sunday, I spent my time reading books and listening to music.

子供達は、静かだったりうるさかったりする。 Kodomo-tachi wa, shizuka dattari urusakattari suru. Sometimes kids are quiet and sometimes they're noisy.

Using たり (tari), actions or conditions are listed as part of a flow, whereas や (ya) lists them as independent actions or conditions.

Beyond the Basics

Quantity + や + Quantity

や (ya) can express an approximate amount, similar to saying "one or two" in English. For example:

本の一冊や二冊なら一日で読めちゃう。 Hon no issatsu ya nisatsu nara ichinichi de yomechau. I can read one or two books in a day.

Another example:

今の時代、外国語の一つや二つは勉強しておいた方がいい。 Ima no jidai, gaikokugo no hitotsu ya futatsu wa benkyou shite oita hou ga ii. In this day and age, it's better to learn a foreign language or two.

In these examples, 冊 (satsu) and つ (tsu) are counters used for different types of nouns. Counters combine with numerals to count items in Japanese. For more on counters, check out the article on Japanese counters.

That’s all folks!

Let me know if you enjoyed this simple grammar run-through :)

Have a great Sunday!