し — And also / What's more (listing reasons)
Connects multiple reasons or qualities, implying 'and also / what's more.' Unlike て which just links clauses, し emphasizes that each item is an additional reason supporting the conclusion.
Structure
[Clause 1 plain form] し、[Clause 2 plain form] し、[Conclusion]
Examples
彼女は頭もいいし、優しいし、人気があるのは当然だ。
Kanojo wa atama mo ii shi, yasashii shi, ninki ga aru no wa touzen da.
She's smart and kind, so it's no wonder she's popular.
いいし + 優しいし = stacking multiple reasons
雨だし、寒いし、今日は家にいよう。
Ame da shi, samui shi, kyou wa ie ni iyou.
It's raining and it's cold, so let's stay home today.
雨だし + 寒いし = reasons supporting the decision
値段も高いし、品質も悪いし、やめました。
Nedan mo takai shi, hinshitsu mo warui shi, yamemashita.
The price was high and the quality was bad, so I gave up on it.
Two negative reasons → conclusion
• Key concept: し adds the nuance of 'among other things' — it implies there are further unstated reasons. • し can stand alone as a reason: 疲れたし… (For one thing, I'm tired…). • Often paired with も (…も…し) and closed by から/ので.
Commonly confused with
The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones し is tested against.
vs て (connective)
て simply links actions/qualities in sequence. し frames each clause as a REASON and hints there are more reasons beyond those listed.
vs から / ので
から/ので give a single, complete cause. し lists several partial reasons and leaves room for more; you often end a し-chain WITH から/ので.
More conjunctions
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