N2 Hearsay and Reporting

~やら~やら: meaning, usage and examples

~やら~やら means: ... and... and... (listing examples).

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

Examples

1. 机つくえの上うえには、本ほんやら鉛筆えんぴつやらが散ちらかっている。

   Books, pencils and all sorts of things are scattered over the desk.

2. 引ひっ越こしの準備じゅんびで、箱はこやらテープやらをたくさん買かった。

   To get ready for the move, I bought lots of boxes, tape and so on.

3. 仕事しごとやら家事かじやらで、毎日まいにち忙いそがしい。

   What with work and housework, I am busy every day.

4. 合格ごうかくの知しらせを聞きいて、うれしいやらほっとしたやらで涙なみだが出でた。

   When I heard I had passed, I was so happy and relieved that I cried.

When to use it

Use やら～やら to list a few examples from many, especially when there are lots of things and the situation feels busy, messy or emotionally mixed. It is often followed by で: 仕事しごとやら家事かじやらで忙いそがしい. With adjectives of feeling it shows mixed emotions at the same moment: うれしいやら恥はずかしいやら.

Nuance

Conversational to neutral. It often carries a feeling of being overwhelmed, troubled or confused, so it suits complaints and mixed emotions better than neutral lists. Not used for simple, calm lists like a shopping list.

Compare

とか～とか is a neutral, casual list: 本ほんとか雑誌ざっしとかを読よむ. や～など is the neutral written list. やら～やら adds "so many things, it was a lot": 引ひっ越こしの準備じゅんびやら手続てつづきやらで大変たいへんだった. し～し gives reasons rather than examples and has no feeling of confusion.

Tip: If the speaker sounds busy, flustered or emotional, choose やら. If the list is calm, use とか or や.