……
Usages of ya
あの 小屋 に トカゲ や 虫 が います。ano koya ni tokage ya mushi ga imasu.
There are lizards and insects and such in that hut.
イタリア や 日本 の 食べ物 が 好き です。itaria ya nihon no tabemono ga suki desu.
(I) like Italian and Japanese food (among others).
「朝ご飯 は 何 を 食べた か？」 「パン や ヨーグルト など 食べた。」「asagohan wa nani o tabeta ka?」 「pan ya yooguruto nado tabeta.」
"What did you eat for breakfast?" "I had some bread and yoghurt and such."
冬 は ロンドン や パリ など に 行きました。fuyu wa rondon ya pari nado ni ikimashita.
I went to London and Paris (and other such places) in the winter.
彼女 は テニス や 泳ぐの が 上手。kanojo wa tenisu ya oyoguno ga jouzu.
She's good at tennis and swimming (among other things).
この 色 の ほか に、 青 や 緑 は あります か？kono iro no hoka ni, ao ya midori wa arimasu ka?
Besides this color, do you have blue or green?
鹿 は 木 の 葉 や 草 を 食べます。shika wa ki no wa ya kusa o tabemasu.
Deer eat tree leaves and grass. (among other things)
Test yourself: What does ya mean?
More from this lesson
AI Language TutorTry it ↗
“How do verb conjugations work in Japanese?”
Japanese verbs conjugate based on tense, politeness, and mood. For example, the polite present form adds ‑ます to the verb stem, while the past tense uses ‑ました. Unlike English, Japanese verbs don't change based on the subject — the same form works for "I", "you", and "they".
Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor
Start learning JapaneseMaster Japanese — from ya to fluency
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods.
- ✓ Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
- ✓ Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
- ✓ Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
- ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions