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JLPT N4Particles

など— And so on / Such as / Etcetera

Indicates that the listed items are examples and that others exist that aren't mentioned — 'such as,' 'like,' 'etcetera.' Often softens a statement or, about oneself, adds a humble/dismissive tone.

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Pro lessonUNIT 37 · PARTICLES

Structure · 形

[Noun1] や [Noun2] など | [Noun] + など

Examples · 例文

  • 趣味はサッカー、テニスなどのスポーツです。

    Shumi wa sakkaa, tenisu nado no supootsu desu.

    My hobbies are sports such as soccer, tennis, and so on.

    など = the list is not exhaustive

  • 日本語、英語、中国語などを勉強しています。

    Nihongo, eigo, chuugokugo nado wo benkyou shite imasu.

    I am studying Japanese, English, Chinese, etc.

    など = etcetera / and similar languages

  • そんなことなど、気にしなくていいよ。

    Sonna koto nado, ki ni shinakute ii yo.

    Don't worry about such things.

    など here adds a dismissive nuance: 'things like that'

Usage notes · 注意

  • など vs とか: both mean 'such as / and the like.' とか is more casual (especially spoken); など is slightly more formal.
  • など can also be self-deprecating/dismissive about oneself: 私などには無理です (it's impossible for someone like me).

Commonly confused with

The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones など is tested against.

vsとか

とか is casual/spoken and often lists examples loosely; など is a touch more formal and also carries the dismissive/humble nuance (私など).

vsや (non-exhaustive 'and')

や links example items ('A and B among others'); など caps such a list to explicitly signal 'and so on', often paired as A や B など.

More particles

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