JLPT N5 grammar · Conjunctions & Questions

~や~: meaning, usage and examples

~や~ means: things like... and... (an incomplete list).

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

Examples

1. かばんの中なかにスマホや財布さいふがあります。

   There are a smartphone, a wallet and other things in my bag.

2. 机つくえの上うえに、本ほんや辞書じしょがあります。

   There are things like books and dictionaries on the desk.

3. 冷蔵庫れいぞうこに牛乳ぎゅうにゅうや卵たまごがあります。

   There’s milk, eggs and so on in the fridge.

4. 休やすみの日ひは、本ほんや雑誌ざっしを読よみます。

   On days off, I read books, magazines and so on.

When to use it

Lists examples from a larger set. 'Things like A and B (and others).' など (etc.) is often added to reinforce the 'and so on' feeling.

Nuance

や suggests the list is partial. Adding など makes this explicit.

Compare

と (exhaustive list). や (representative examples).

Tip: In JLPT answers, if you see 'such as' or 'like', the answer likely contains や〜など.

More on this in Japanese particles.