や - and, among other things

AやB

Meaning

Connects a partial, open-ended list of nouns - implies there's more not mentioned.

Explanation

や also means "and," but marks a partial list - a few representative examples out of a larger set, rather than every item. It's often paired with など ("etc.") at the end for extra clarity, though など isn't required.

Formation

Noun + や + Noun (+ など)

Examples

机の上に本やノートがあります。
つくえのうえにほんやノートがあります。
There are things like books and notebooks (among others) on the desk.
週末は映画や音楽を楽しみます。
しゅうまつはえいがやおんがくをたのしみます。
On weekends I enjoy things like movies and music.

Grammar explanations and example sentences written for NihongoTech.