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JLPT N4Particles

とか〜とか— Things Like / Such As (Casual Listing)

Lists examples casually, implying there are other similar items too (non-exhaustive). More casual than や〜や or など. Can also quote vague/uncertain statements ('saying things like...').

Grammar path · 練習

Practice this in the path

A short lesson: the pattern, its sentence anatomy, a quick quiz and a sentence to build.

Pro lessonUNIT 80 · PARTICLES

Structure · 形

[Item1] とか [Item2] とか

Examples · 例文

  • 週末はサッカーとかテニスとかをした。

    Shuumatsu wa sakkaa toka tenisu toka o shita.

    On weekends I did things like soccer and tennis.

    とか〜とか = listing non-exhaustive examples

  • 彼は来るとか来ないとか言っていた。

    Kare wa kuru toka konai toka itte ita.

    He was saying things like he'll come, he won't come...

    quoting vague/wavering statements

  • 朝はパンとか果物とかを食べます。

    Asa wa pan toka kudamono toka o tabemasu.

    In the morning I eat things like bread and fruit.

    とか〜とか = bread, fruit, and other such things (non-exhaustive)

Usage notes · 注意

  • とか is more casual than や or など and is very common in speech.
  • A single とか softens a suggestion: 映画とか見ない？ (wanna see a movie or something?).

Commonly confused with

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

vsや〜や

や lists a couple of representative examples but is more neutral/written; とか is more casual/colloquial and readily quotes wavering speech (来るとか来ないとか).

vsし〜し

し stacks up REASONS/qualities ('and what's more...'); とか just lists example items — different function.

More particles

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