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Grammar JLPT Level N4 - Lesson 7

Structure of とか:

Verb (A) + + Verb (B) + (
Noun (A) + + Noun (B) + (

Details about とか:

とか is a word that belongs to a unique family of particles in Japanese called listing particles. As the name suggests, these particles are used for listing groups of items that share similarities. とか can be used after verbs, or nouns, to express 'among other things, (A)'.
  • 健康(けんこう)のために野菜(やさい)()とか(みず)()とかています
    For my health, I do things like eat vegetables and drink water.
  • (かめ)とかすっぽんとか美味(おい)んです
    Are things like turtles and snapping turtles delicious?
When multiple things are listed, the last item in the list can (and often does) have とか omitted.
  • かぼちゃとかサツマイモとか白菜(はくさい)とかシイタケ(はい)ている(なべ)()
    I like hot pots that include things like pumpkin, sweet potatoe, cabbage, and shiitake.
とか

Usage Notes for とか:

とか is used to list items in a non-exhaustive way. What this means is that the listener will assume that there are other items in the list, apart from what is stated directly. The speaker is just providing a few examples of a (potentially much larger) category.

Synonyms for とか:

やら~やら
Whether or, Things like, And … so on
たり~たりする
Things like ~ and ~
Things like, And the like
など
Such as, Things like, Etc., And so on
といった
Such as, Like, So much as
たとえば
For example
し~し
And, Giving reasons
なんか・なんて
Such as, Things like, Emphasis
~なり~なり
Or, Either or

Example of とか

(あお)とか水色(みずいろ)()

I like colors such as blue and light blue.

明日(あした)とか(こん)週末(しゅうまつ)とか(ひま)なら映画(えいが)()()こう

If you are free tomorrow or, for example this weekend, let's go watch a movie.

トム・クルーズとかブラッド・ピットとかかっこいい(おも)

I think people like Tom Cruise for example, or Brad Pitt are cool.

(わたし)色々(いろいろ)フルーツ()だけど(いちご)とか、リンゴとか(きら)です

I like a variety of fruits, but I don't like (fruits) such as strawberries and apples.

日本(にほん)とか韓国(かんこく)とか()ってみたいです

I want to go to places such as Japan and Korea.

Grammar same lesson

みたい

Like, Similar to, Resembling
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のに

Despite, Although, Even though
See detailsreport

こと

Converting a verb into a noun
See detailsreport

Converting adjectives to nouns
See detailsreport

等(など)

Such as, Things like, Etc., And so on
See detailsreport
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