Can I use と to join adjectives?

No. と joins nouns only. Join い-adjectives with くて (安くておいしい) and な-adjectives with で (静かできれい).

How do you join two verbs with and?

Use the て-form of every verb except the last: 起きて、顔を洗って、朝ご飯を食べました. The last verb carries the tense and politeness for the whole chain.

What does 食べると寝ます mean?

After a verb, と is not and. It is the conditional whenever or if: 食べると眠くなります means whenever I eat, I get sleepy. To say I eat and then sleep, use the て-form: 食べて寝ます.

How to Say “And” in Japanese: と Only Joins Nouns (N5)

Q: What is the difference between と and や?

と gives a complete list: パンと卵を買いました means you bought bread and eggs and nothing else. や gives examples from a longer list: パンや卵などを買いました means bread, eggs and other things.

The short version: と means and only between nouns: パンと卵たまご. For adjectives, use くて or で: 安やすくておいしい, 静しずかできれい. For actions, use the て-form: 起おきて、顔かおを洗あらって、出でかけます. For reasons, use し. To start a new sentence with and, use それから or そして. After a verb, と means whenever, not and.

Level: N5. Everything here uses N5 grammar: particles, the て-form of verbs and adjectives, and a few connecting words. Every example has furigana, the kana reading underneath and an English translation.

The first “and” most learners meet is と, in a sentence like パンと牛乳ぎゅうにゅうを買かいました (I bought bread and milk). It is natural to assume that と works like the English word and then to write 高たかいと大おおきい or 食たべると寝ねます. The first is simply wrong. The second is grammatical, but it means something you probably did not intend. The reason is that Japanese does not have one word for “and”. It has a different tool for each kind of thing you join.

Five jobs, five tools

Nounsと・やパンと卵たまご

Adjectivesくて・で安やすくておいしい

Actionsて-form起おきて、食たべる

Reasonsし安やすいし、近ちかいし

Sentencesそれからそして・それに

Nouns: と, や and とか

Joining nounsN5

パンと卵たまごを買かいました。パンとたまごをかいました。I bought bread and eggs.

パンや卵たまごなどを買かいました。パンやたまごなどをかいました。I bought bread, eggs and so on.

休やすみの日ひは、映画えいがとか音楽おんがくとか、好すきなことをします。やすみのひは、えいがとかおんがくとか、すきなことをします。On my days off I do things I like, such as films and music.

と closes the list, や leaves it open. With と, the listener understands that you bought exactly these items. With や, they understand these are examples, and the など (and so on) makes that explicit. とか is the casual spoken version of や and is often repeated after each item.

と has a second everyday meaning between nouns: with. 友ともだちと映画えいがを見みました means “I watched a film with a friend”. Context makes the difference clear.

The wall: と does not join anything else

Here is the rule that saves you from the most common “and” mistake: と cannot join adjectives, verbs or sentences. Two of the sentences below are wrong in different ways.

と in the wrong placeN5

Wrong

この部屋へやは広ひろいときれいです。このへやはひろいときれいです。

Right

この部屋へやは広ひろくてきれいです。このへやはひろくてきれいです。This room is spacious and clean.

Means something else

ご飯はんを食たべると寝ねます。ごはんをたべるとねます。Whenever I eat, I go to sleep.

What you meant

ご飯はんを食たべて、寝ねます。ごはんをたべて、ねます。I eat and then go to sleep.

Why the second one is a trap. After a verb in the dictionary form, と is the conditional whenever or if: 春はるになると、桜さくらが咲さきます (When spring comes, the cherry blossoms bloom). So 食たべると寝ねます describes a habit of falling asleep every time you eat. More on this と in the four conditionals.

Adjectives: くて and で

Adjectives are joined with their て-form. For い-adjectives, replace the final い with くて. For な-adjectives and nouns, add で.

Type	Rule	Example	Meaning
い-adjective	い → くて	安やすい → 安やすくて	cheap and…
いい (good)	irregular	いい → よくて	good and…
な-adjective	+ で	静しずか → 静しずかで	quiet and…
Noun	+ で	学生がくせい → 学生がくせいで	a student and…

Joining descriptionsN5

このラーメンは安やすくて、おいしいです。このラーメンはやすくて、おいしいです。This ramen is cheap and tasty.

私わたしの町まちは静しずかで、きれいです。わたしのまちはしずかで、きれいです。My town is quiet and pretty.

田中たなかさんは医者いしゃで、四十歳よんじゅっさいです。たなかさんはいしゃで、よんじゅっさいです。Mr Tanaka is a doctor, and he is forty.

この店みせは、サービスがよくて、人気にんきがあります。このみせは、サービスがよくて、にんきがあります。This shop has good service and is popular.

Good point plus bad point? Use が or けど. くて and で sound most natural when both descriptions point the same way. When one is positive and the other negative, Japanese marks the contrast: この部屋へやは広ひろいですが、高たかいです (This room is spacious, but expensive).

Actions: the て-form chain

To say that you did one thing and then another, put every verb except the last in the て-form. Only the final verb shows the tense and the level of politeness, and it covers the whole chain.

Verb chainsN5

毎朝まいあさ、六時ろくじに起おきて、顔かおを洗あらって、朝あさご飯はんを食たべます。まいあさ、ろくじにおきて、かおをあらって、あさごはんをたべます。Every morning I get up at six, wash my face and have breakfast.

昨日きのうは、デパートへ行いって、くつを買かいました。きのうは、デパートへいって、くつをかいました。Yesterday I went to a department store and bought shoes.

The order is the order of events. A て-form chain tells the listener that the actions happened one after another. If you only want to mention a few things you did, in no particular order, use 〜たり〜たりする instead.

Reasons: し

When “and” really means “and also, as another reason”, Japanese uses し after each reason. It suggests that there are good reasons and that these are some of them.

Listing reasonsN5–N4

この店みせは安やすいし、駅えきから近ちかいし、よく来きます。このみせはやすいし、えきからちかいし、よくきます。This place is cheap and close to the station, so I come here often.

Between sentences: それから, そして, それに

それから: and then

The next step in a sequence. Very natural in conversation.

スーパーに行いきました。それから、銀行ぎんこうに行いきました。

I went to the supermarket. After that, I went to the bank.

そして: and

A neutral “and”, very common in writing, speeches and storytelling.

日本にほんで三年さんねん働はたらきました。そして、国くにに帰かえりました。

I worked in Japan for three years. And then I went back home.

それに: besides

Adds one more point to an argument.

今日きょうは疲つかれました。それに、雨あめです。

I'm tired today. Besides, it's raining.

A habit to watch

Learners often start every sentence with そして. It is not wrong, but in conversation a て-form chain or それから usually sounds more natural.

“And you?” is not そして

One last “and” that English speakers translate too literally: when you answer a question and want to ask it back, Japanese uses the person's name with は and a rising tone.

Asking backN5

They ask

週末しゅうまつは何なにをしましたか。しゅうまつはなにをしましたか。What did you do at the weekend?

You answer and ask back

友ともだちと買かい物ものに行いきました。田中たなかさんは？ともだちとかいものにいきました。たなかさんは？I went shopping with a friend. And you, Mr Tanaka?

Use the name, not あなた. Japanese avoids あなた when speaking to someone whose name it knows. 田中たなかさんは？ is the natural way to say “And you?”.

て

The て-form does most of the work. Three of the five tools in this guide are some form of て. Kanjijo's grammar bank drills the て-form of verbs and adjectives in full example sentences with native audio, and its conversation lessons let you repeat long connected sentences with shadowing until they come out in one breath.

Check yourself: which “and”?

Look at what is being joined first.

1 · Two adjectives

このかばんは軽かる＿＿便利べんりです。このかばんはかる＿＿べんりです。This bag is light and handy.

い-adjective: い → くて.

2 · な-adjective

あの公園こうえんはきれい＿＿広ひろいです。あのこうえんはきれい＿＿ひろいです。That park is beautiful and spacious.

きれい is a な-adjective, so it takes で.

3 · Exactly two items

コーヒー＿＿ケーキをください。コーヒー＿＿ケーキをください。A coffee and a cake, please.

You want exactly these two things, so the closed list と.

4 · Two actions

家いえに＿＿、シャワーを浴あびました。いえに＿＿、シャワーをあびました。I got home and took a shower.

Actions in sequence take the て-form. 帰かえると would mean whenever I get home.

5 · The irregular one

この町まちは空気くうきが＿＿、静しずかです。このまちはくうきが＿＿、しずかです。The air here is good, and the town is quiet.

いい becomes よくて.

6 · Asking back

私わたしはコーヒーが好すきです。山田やまださん＿＿？わたしはコーヒーがすきです。やまださん＿＿？I like coffee. And you, Ms Yamada?

“And you?” is the name plus は.

Quick reference

Nouns: と for a complete list (パンと卵), や…など for examples, とか in casual speech.
Adjectives: い → くて (安くて), いい → よくて, な-adjective/noun + で (静かで, 学生で). For good + bad, use が or けど.
Actions: て-form chain; the last verb carries tense and politeness.
Reasons: し: 安いし、近いし.
New sentence: それから (and then), そして (and), それに (besides).
The と trap: Verb + と = whenever/if: 食べると眠くなります.
And you?: Name + は: 田中さんは？

Frequently Asked Questions

No. と joins nouns only. Join い-adjectives with くて (安やすくておいしい) and な-adjectives with で (静しずかできれい).

と gives a complete list: パンと卵たまごを買かいました means you bought bread and eggs and nothing else. や gives examples from a longer list: パンや卵たまごなどを買かいました means bread, eggs and other things.

Use the て-form of every verb except the last: 起おきて、顔かおを洗あらって、朝あさご飯はんを食たべました. The last verb carries the tense and politeness for the whole chain.

After a verb, と is not and. It is the conditional whenever or if: 食たべると眠ねむくなります means whenever I eat, I get sleepy. To say I eat and then sleep, use the て-form: 食たべて寝ねます.

Both can start a sentence. それから means and then, after that, and is very natural in conversation for a sequence. そして is a neutral and, very common in writing and storytelling. In conversation, a て-form chain or それから is often more natural than repeating そして.

Sources & further reading

Seiichi Makino & Michio Tsutsui, A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar (The Japan Times, 1986): entries for to, ya, shi, soshite and the connective use of the te-form.
The Japan Foundation & JEES, JLPT Level Summary: what N5 candidates are expected to understand.

Build longer sentences without thinking

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How to Say “And” in Japanese: と Only Joins Nouns