〜たり〜た transcribed tari tari and 〜し transcribed shi are both used to make incomplete lists in Japanese.
〜たり〜たり transcribed tari tari is used when you’re providing a few examples or leaving things unsaid. You might translate sentences that use this structure with a phrase like “such as” or “and others.”
泳いだり、バレーをしたりしました。Transcription: Oyoidari, barē o shitari shimashita.Translation: I swam and played volleyball (among other things).〜し transcribed shi is used to add a second layer on top of an existing statement, much like “and what’s more…”
時間が足りないし、難しいし、ロシア語の勉強をやめてしまいました。Transcription: Jikan ga tari nai shi, muzukashii shi, Roshiago no benkyō o yamete shimaimashita.Translation: I quit studying Russian because I don’t have enough time, and it’s difficult.
In this post, we’ll go through both these endings, and some related structures. If you’re someone who likes to cultivate a persona of mystery… or just someone who can’t be bothered to list every little thing all the time, this is the grammar form for you! Let’s have a look!
How to use 〜たり〜たり [tari tari] in Japanese?
In Japanese, we use the structure 〜たり〜たり transcribed -tari … -tari to provide a couple examples from a longer list of actions. Every action in the list will be in its 〜たり transcribed tari form. Usually it will follow this pattern:
Verb 1
-tari form
Verb 2
-tari form
Notice that the tense and politeness of the sentence comes from the form of する transcribed suru, or from another verb that is not in its -tari form! While する transcribed suru can take whatever form is needed, the 〜たり transcribed tari form is fixed, and does not reflect the tense or politeness of the sentence overall.
The most important thing to remember, though, is that every verb in the list should be in a 〜たり transcribed tari form. If you’re listing two actions, you should use 〜たり transcribed tari twice.
- ❌小さい子供はよく泣いたり騒ぎます。Transcription: Chiisai kodomo wa yoku naitari sawagimasu.
- ✅ 小さい子供はよく泣いたり騒いだりします。Transcription: Chiisai kodomo wa yoku naitari sawaidari shimasu.Translation: Young kids often cry and make lots of noise.
Let’s look first at how to create this 〜たり transcribed tari form, then we can look at exactly when and how to use it in lists.
What is the 〜たり [tari] form?
The 〜たり transcribed tari form of a verb is just the plain past tense (-ta form) followed by り transcribed ri.
Verb
-ta form
Have a look!
| Dictionary Form | -ta form | -tari form |
|---|---|---|
食べる Transcription: taberu Translation: to eat | 食べた Transcription: tabeta Translation: ate | 食べたり Transcription: tabetari Translation: eating and… |
読む Transcription: yomu Translation: to read | 読んだ Transcription: yonda Translation: read | 読んだり Transcription: yondari Translation: reading and… |
する Transcription: suru Translation: to do | した Transcription: shita Translation: did | したり Transcription: shitari Translation: doing and… |
Remember that while the past tense of many verbs will end in 〜た transcribed ta, some u-verbs will end in だ transcribed da instead! This means that the 〜たり transcribed -tari ending will be 〜だり transcribed -dari, when it’s attached to certain verbs!
You can also form negative 〜たり transcribed -tari forms. To do this, just attach り transcribed ri to the negative -ta form. This will always result in the ending 〜なかったり transcribed nakattari.
| Dictionary Form | Negative ta form | Header |
|---|---|---|
食べる Transcription: taberu Translation: to eat | 食べなかった Transcription: tabenakatta Translation: ate | 食べなかったり Transcription: tabenakattari Translation: not eating and… |
読む Transcription: yomu Translation: to read | 読まなかった Transcription: yomanakatta Translation: read | 読まなかったり Transcription: yomanakattari Translation: not reading and… |
する Transcription: suru Translation: to do | しなかった Transcription: shinakatta Translation: did | しなかったり Transcription: shinakattari Translation: not doing and… |
When to use 〜たり〜たり [tari tari]?
〜たり〜たり transcribed tari tari is used to create an inexhaustive list of actions. This means that you’re not mentioning every action that could go on the list. The actions you list also didn’t necessarily happen in the exact order you’re listing them.
- 友達と泳いだり、砂浜でバレーをしたりしました。Transcription: Tomodachi to oyoidari, sunahama de barē o shitari shimashita.Translation: I went did (things like) swimming with my friends and playing volleyball on the beach.
- パリでエッフェル塔を見たり、買い物をしたりしました。Transcription: Pari de Efferutō o mitari, kaimono o shitari shimashita.Translation: In Paris, I did (things like) see the Eiffel Tower and go shopping.
This makes lists with 〜たり〜たり transcribed tari tari different from lists of actions created using the -te form. When you use 〜て (te) as a linker, your list presents everything that happened in the order it took place.
The actions you list with 〜たり〜たり transcribed tari tari should always be providing examples of the same sort of action. We don’t usually use this structure for actions representing different types of activities.
Can you use 〜たり [tari] for a list of three actions?
It’s grammatically possible to use as many 〜たり transcribed tari verbs as you want in a list, but long lists will usually sound awkward. It’s best to keep it to two actions per list in writing, though in speech, this can usually be stretched to three. If you want to give more examples than that, it’s best to just start a new sentence.
- ❓飛行機の中で寝たり、本を読んだり、ゲームをしたり、雲を見たりするのが好きです。Transcription: Hikōki no naka de netari, hon o yondari, gēmu o shitari, kumo o mitari suru no ga suki desu.Translation: On planes, I like to do things like sleep, read books, play video games, and watch the clouds.This is grammatical but sounds forced and awkward.
- ✅飛行機の中で寝たり、雲を見たりするのが好きです。読書したり、ゲームしたりするのも好きです。Transcription: Hikōki no naka de netari, kumo o mitari suru no ga suki desu. Dokusho shitari, gēmu shitari suru no mo suki desu.Translation: On planes, I like to do things like sleep and watch the clouds. I also like reading and playing games.This sounds much more natural (even in English!)
Shortening 〜たり〜たり [tari tari]: What’s acceptable in casual Japanese?
In casual speech, you may not use every element of the sentence structure we discussed above. There are two ways this structure can be shortened:
Only one 〜たり transcribed tari
If you want to give only one example, but imply that other things were happening as well, you can use only one 〜たり transcribed tari in your sentence. For example:
みんな元気に話したりしている。Transcription: Min’na genki ni hanashitari shite iru.Translation: Everyone’s talking (and also doing other things) excitedly.Using the 〜たり transcribed tari form, here, implies that other related activities were happening as well. Notice, though, that this 〜たり transcribed tari form is still followed by a form of する transcribed suru!
Leaving out する transcribed suru
If you want to to leave a sentence a little unfinished, like you’re trailing off at the end of a list of examples, you can use your 〜たり transcribed tari forms, but leave out する transcribed suru.
あの子は全く不思議ですね。いつも泣いたり笑ったり…Transcription: Ano ko wa mattaku fushigi desu ne. Itsumo naitari warattari…Translation: That child is a complete mystery to me, always crying or laughing…Here, you’re really just leaving the sentence unfinished and letting your listener fill in the blanks. If you were to complete the sentence it might end something like this:
…いつも泣いたり笑ったりして、どうすればいいかわかりません。Transcription: …Itsumo naitari warattari shite, dō sureba ii ka wakarimasen.Translation: …always crying or laughing, I don’t know what to do about it.
When to use the negative 〜たり [tari] form?
You can use the a negative 〜たり transcribed tari form, ending in 〜なかったり transcribed nakattari, to list an example of an action that did not happen.
Most often, you’ll see the same verb used first in its positive 〜たり transcribed tari form, then in its negative 〜たり transcribed tari form. This roughly means, “there are times when this happens… and also times when it doesn’t.”
Usually, you won’t use two verbs ending 〜なかったり transcribed nakattari in the same list, though. If you want to list examples of actions that didn’t happen, it’s better to make する transcribed suru negative, then use the positive 〜たり transcribed tari form for each action instead.
- negative 〜たりpositive verb❌誠さんは最近電話に出なかったり、イベントに来なかったりしているよね。Transcription: Makoto-san wa saikin denwa ni denakattari, ibento ni konakattari shite iru yo ne.Translation: Lately Makoto hasn’t been doing things like answering the phone and coming to events.
- positive 〜たりnegative verb✅ 誠さんは最近電話に出たり、イベントに来たりしていないよね。Transcription: Makoto-san wa saikin denwa ni detari, ibento ni kitari shiteinai yo ne.Translation: Lately Makoto hasn’t been answering the phone or coming to events.
Can you use 〜たり [tari] with adjectives and nouns?
Both adjective sand nouns can be used with 〜たり transcribed tari. Most often, you will hear 〜たり〜たり transcribed tari tari applied to a pair of adjectives or nouns with opposite or opposing meanings. Much like we saw above, these pairs indicate that something is sometimes one way and sometimes a different way.
The 〜たり transcribed tari form of a noun or adjective is also formed by adding り transcribed ri to the -ta form.
| Category | Dictionary | -ta form | Affirmative tari | Negative tari |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i-adjective | 安い Transcription: yasui Translation: cheap | 安かった Transcription: yasukatta Translation: was cheap | 安かったり Transcription: yasukattari | 安くなかったり Transcription: yasuku nakattari |
| na-adjective | 静か Transcription: shizuka Translation: quiet | 静かだった Transcription: shizuka datta Translation: was quiet | 静かだったり Transcription: shizuka dattari | 静かじゃなかったり Transcription: shizuka ja nakattari |
| noun | 金曜日 Transcription: kin’yōbi Translation: Friday | 金曜日だった Transcription: kin’yōbi datta Translation: was Friday | 金曜日だったり Transcription: kin’yōbi dattari | 金曜日じゃなかったり Transcription: kin’yōbi ja nakattari |
| irregular | いい Transcription: ii Translation: good | よかった Transcription: yokatta Translation: was good | よかったり Transcription: yokattari | よくなかったり Transcription: yoku nakattari |
Let’s look at some examples!
- 近くのイタリア料理店は味がよかったりよくなかったりするので、あまり行かない。Transcription: Chikaku no Itaria ryōriten wa aji ga yokattari yokunakattari suru no de, amari ikanai.Translation: The food at the nearby Italian restaurant is sometimes good and sometimes not (good), so I don’t go there often.
- 4月は暑かったり寒かったりしますね。Transcription: Shigatsu wa atsukattari samukattari shimasu ne.Translation: April is sometimes hot and sometimes cold.
- 掃除の担当は高山さんだったり、原さんだったり…毎週変わります。Transcription: Sōji no tantō wa Takayama-san dattari, Hara-san dattari… maishū kawarimasu.Translation: Sometimes Mr. Takayama is in charge of cleaning, sometimes it’s Ms. Hara… it changes each week.
How to use 〜し [shi] in Japanese?
〜し transcribed shi is a particle with multiple uses in Japanese. It’s most commonly used to link two statements together, to list or imply multiple reasons contributing to the same situation, and in combination with the particle も transcribed mo with a meaning similar to “not only… but also” in English.
“Not only… but also…”: 〜し [shi] and も〜し [mo…shi] with facts
The most basic use of 〜し transcribed shi is as a linker between facts. This particle comes between the two facts and places a little emphasis on the second one. It can be added after the plain form of a verb, adjective, or noun. It can also follow a polite form, but this is only done in very formal situations.
When a single 〜し transcribed shi is used on its own, the translation is most like “A (is true) and also B.”
To be more emphatic, you can also add the particle も transcribed mo before the predicates (verb, adjective, or noun) that 〜し transcribed shi links. This is translated more like “not only… but also…”.
- 宴会ではゲームもするし、カラオケもありますTranscription: Enkai de wa geemu mo suru shi, karaoke mo arimasu.Translation: We’ll not only play games but also sing karaoke at the party.
- 今年は家も買ったし、海外旅行にも行ったTranscription: Kotoshi wa ie mo katta shi, kaigairyokō ni mo itta.Translation: This year, we not only bought a house but also went traveling abroad.
You can also use も transcribed mo before just one of the predicates. This just sounds a little less emphatic.
〜し [shi] for a list of reasons
You can also use 〜し transcribed shi to list some but not all of the contributing factors or reasons for a given situation. In a list like this, each reason in the list is followed by 〜し transcribed shi and by a comma, then the situation being explained comes at the end of the sentence.
Using this structure can soften the tone of an explanation. It’s a less direct form of “because” than から transcribed kara or ので transcribed no de, and thus more polite, especially in tricky social situations such as when you have to decline an invitation.
Shortening lists with 〜し [shi]: What’s acceptable in casual Japanese?
In casual situations, it’s commoncut short sentences with 〜し transcribed shi, relying on context to fill in the rest of the implied meaning. When you do this, you also need to reverse the order by putting the situation you’re explaining first, leaving 〜し transcribed shi at the end instead.
If you’re answering a question, you also have the option to simply trail off and have the 〜し transcribed shi do all the work. This works because the question provides enough context to allow the listener to understand your meaning without you stating it fully.
To sum up
In this post, we discussed two different sentence structures that can be used to form incomplete lists in Japanese.
〜たり〜たり transcribed tari tari is used to provide a few examples:
The 〜たり transcribed tari form is the -ta form + iり transcribed ri
Often we combine 〜たり transcribed tari forms with opposite meanings, to say that things are sometimes one way and sometimes another.
〜し transcribed shi is used in two main ways:
To link two related facts, much like you might use “not only… but also…” in English.
To list some of the reasons for a situation.
Ready to practice what you’ve learned? Check out these 〜たり〜たり transcribed tari tari and 〜し transcribed shi activities to test your skills!
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