〜とか〜とか: Giving Examples Informally (JLPT N4 Grammar)

Japanese Grammar Template
Meaning & Usage

✨ Basic Meaning

“And things like that,” “such as,” “or something like that.”

🎯 Primary Function

To give a few examples from a larger group without listing everything.

📋 Grammar Structure

[Noun] とか [Noun] とか [Verb Plain Form] とか [Verb Plain Form] とか [い-Adj Plain Form] とか [い-Adj Plain Form] とか [な-Adj Plain Form] とか [な-Adj Plain Form] とか

🎭 Usage Contexts

🏢 Formal Situations

Generally avoided in formal settings.

😊 Informal Situations

Very common in casual conversation among friends, family, or close colleagues.

✍️ Written Language

More common in informal writing (emails to friends, social media) than formal documents.

🗣️ Spoken Language

Frequently used in spoken Japanese.

💡 Common Applications

Listing items or activities
When talking about various things you like, do, or encountered.
Example: 週末は映画を見るとか、友達と遊ぶとかして過ごしました。 (Shuumatsu wa eiga o miru toka, tomodachi to asobu toka shite sugoshimashita. – I spent the weekend doing things like watching movies or hanging out with friends.)
Suggesting options
When proposing a few ideas for what to do or choose.
Example: お昼ご飯はラーメンとか、うどんとかどう? (Ohirugohan wa raamen toka, udon toka dou? – How about something for lunch like ramen or udon?)
Describing characteristics
Listing examples of someone’s personality or a place’s features.
Example: 彼は親切だとか、面白いとか、いいところがたくさんある。 (Kare wa shinsetsu da toka, omoshiroi toka, ii tokoro ga takusan aru. – He has many good points, like being kind or funny.)
📊
Frequency
Very common in informal conversation.
🎚️
Difficulty
N4
Example Sentences
休みの日は本を読むとか、音楽を聴くとかしてリラックスします。
On holidays, I relax by doing things like reading books or listening to music.
カバンの中に携帯とか、財布とかが入っています。
Inside my bag, there are things like my phone, wallet, etc.
この店は安くて美味しいとか、サービスがいいとかで人気です。
This store is popular because it’s cheap and delicious, or the service is good, etc.
Notes & Nuances

📌 Important Points

Informal use
〜とか〜とか is primarily used in casual conversation. Avoid it in formal situations.
Example: 友達: 週末は何したの? (What did you do on the weekend?) 自分: 映画見たとか、家でゴロゴロしてたとかかな。(I watched a movie, or just lounged around at home, something like that.)
Non-exhaustive list
You are giving examples, not a complete list of everything. It implies “among other things.”
Example: 好きな食べ物? うーん、寿司とか、ラーメンとか、カレーとか好きだよ。(Favorite foods? Hmm, I like sushi, ramen, curry, things like that.) – This implies there are other foods you like.

⚠️ Common Mistakes

❌ Using in formal situations
✅ Use 〜たり〜たり or 〜や〜など in more formal contexts.
〜とか〜とか sounds too casual for business meetings or formal speeches.
❌ Confusing with alternating actions
✅ Use 〜たり〜たり for actions that happen alternately (AしたりBしたり).
〜とか〜とか lists examples of *things* or *types* of actions/states, not necessarily alternating actions.

🏛️ Cultural Context

Politeness Level: Informal (カジュアル)
Social Situations: Friends, family, close colleagues.
Regional Variations: Used widely across Japan in casual speech.

🔍 Subtle Differences

〜とか〜とか vs 〜たり〜たり
〜とか〜とか lists examples of things/actions. 〜たり〜たり lists actions that happen alternately or are examples of various actions.
When to use: Use 〜とか〜とか for listing items or types of activities/states as examples. Use 〜たり〜たり when listing specific actions that occur at different times or are examples of a variety of actions you do.
〜とか〜とか vs 〜や〜など
〜とか〜とか is more informal than 〜や〜など. 〜や〜など typically lists nouns.
When to use: Use 〜とか〜とか in casual conversation or writing. Use 〜や〜など in slightly more formal contexts or when specifically listing nouns. 〜や〜など can also list more items clearly.
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📝 Conjugation Notes

Attaches directly to the plain form of verbs, い-adjectives, な-adjectives, and nouns. For な-adjectives, the だ before とか is often omitted in casual speech, though だとか is also possible.

🔊 Pronunciation Tips

Pronounced smoothly, linking the plain form directly to とか. The pitches might drop slightly after each とか.

🧠 Memory Tips

Think of とか as “tokka,” like “taking off” a few items from a list as examples. “Take off this, take off that,” meaning “this or that, etc.”

Practice Exercises
彼はどんな人ですか? 優しくて、_____。
面白いとか、親切だとか
面白いしたり、親切だたり
面白いとか、親切とか
面白いだし、親切だし
週末は何をしましたか? 本を読んだり、友達と____。
遊ぶとか
遊んだとか
遊んだり
遊んで
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