Particles も, と, and や

In This Unit You Will Learn

You will learn the meanings and uses of the particles も, と, and や. も means 'also' and takes the place of は. と is used when listing everything, and や is used when giving some items as examples from among several. All three particles are attached after nouns.

も — Means 'Also' and Replaces は

The particle も indicates that the preceding noun falls under the same judgment as the one stated before, that is, 'too.' When も is used in the place where the topic marker は would be, you delete は and keep only も. Therefore も is a particle that takes the place of は. Its use in place of が and を will be covered again in Unit 19.

と — Lists Everything

The particle と connects nouns and indicates that the listed items are the complete set. When there are two nouns, use と once between them. When there are three or more, use と between each noun. Do not attach と after the last noun.

や — Gives Some Items from a Set

The particle や is used to list nouns as examples. Because it implies that there are other items besides those listed, it is usually used together with など (etc.). や is also placed between nouns, and it is not attached after the last noun.