N1 Listing and Enumeration

~わ〜わ: meaning, usage and examples

~わ〜わ means: ...and... (listing, chaotic situation).

Updated 9 November 2026 · By the My Senpai team · Spotted a mistake? Tell us

Examples

1. 昨日きのうは電話でんわが鳴なるわ、客きゃくは来くるわで、本当ほんとうに忙いそがしかった。

   Yesterday was really hectic, what with the phone ringing and customers coming in.

2. 泣なくわ騒さわぐわで、赤あかん坊ぼうの世話せわは大変たいへんだ。

   What with the crying and the fussing, taking care of a baby is hard work.

3. 旅行りょこう中ちゅうに財布さいふはなくすわ、雨あめには降ふられるわで、散々さんざんだった。

   On the trip I lost my wallet and got caught in the rain. It was a disaster.

4. 引ひっ越こしの日ひは、荷物にもつは多おおいわ、エレベーターは止とまるわで大変たいへんだった。

   Moving day was rough: there were tons of boxes, and the elevator stopped working.

When to use it

Lists two (sometimes more) things that happened at once, usually troubles piling up, and the speaker is fed up or overwhelmed. The list is often followed by で and a summary such as 大変たいへんだった or 散々さんざんだった. Example: 雨あめは降ふるわ、道みちは混こむわで、遅刻ちこくした (It rained, the roads were jammed, and I ended up late).

Nuance

Spoken and casual, with a strong feeling of exasperation. It mostly describes bad situations, though it can occasionally be used for surprising abundance (食たべるわ飲のむわ). Not used in formal writing. The items are real events, not hypotheticals.

Compare

～し～し lists reasons calmly: 安やすいし近ちかいし便利べんりだ. ～たり～たり lists sample actions neutrally: 掃除そうじしたり洗濯せんたくしたりした. ～わ～わ adds the feeling that things went out of control: 子供こどもは泣なくわ犬いぬは吠ほえるわで大騒おおさわぎだった (the kids were crying, the dog was barking, and it was chaos).

Tip: Look for the ending わで: it almost always introduces a tired or annoyed summary of a chaotic day.