N4 Listing & Emphasis

~とか: meaning, usage and examples

~とか means: things like... / ...and so on (listing examples).

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

Examples

1. 週末しゅうまつは映画えいがとか買かい物ものとかに行いきます。

   On weekends I do things like watching movies and shopping.

2. 趣味しゅみは読書どくしょとか旅行りょこうとかです。

   My hobbies are things like reading and traveling.

3. 朝あさはパンとか果物くだものとかを食たべます。

   In the morning I eat things like bread and fruit.

4. 休やすみの日ひは、掃除そうじとか洗濯せんたくとかで忙いそがしいです。

   On my days off I'm busy with things like cleaning and laundry.

When to use it

Lists a few examples out of a longer list: 'things like X and Y'. The speaker means there are other items too. It works with nouns and also with verbs: 本ほんを読よむとか、音楽おんがくを聞きくとか. A single とか can also soften a suggestion: お茶ちゃとかどうですか 'How about tea or something?'

Nuance

Casual and conversational. In writing or formal speech, use や instead. Young people sometimes add とか just to make a statement vaguer, but learners should keep it for listing examples.

Compare

Compare や (neutral, nouns only, common in writing): 本ほんやノート. とか is more casual and can also list verbs. Compare と (a complete list): パンと牛乳ぎゅうにゅう means exactly those two; パンとか牛乳ぎゅうにゅうとか means those and maybe more.

Tip: Use とか in conversation and や in essays. In a JLPT-style written sentence, や is usually the safer choice.