またはmatawa“or; one choice or the other”

または means “or.” It links two options, either of which is acceptable: 現金またはカードで払えます — “You can pay by cash or card.” You will meet it on forms, signs, websites, exam instructions and in announcements, because it is the written, formal way to say “or.”

In everyday conversation, Japanese speakers rarely say または. They use か (現金かカード) instead. And when you ask someone to choose, you need a third word, それとも. Knowing where または fits between those two is the whole point of this lesson.

または is the “or” of signs and forms — it lists acceptable options; it doesn’t ask you to pick.

What does または mean?

または presents alternatives: A or B, and in most cases either one will do. It is a statement, not a question.

• 電話またはメールでご連絡ください。 — Please contact us by phone or email.
• 黒または青のペンで書いてください。 — Please write in black or blue pen.

The “or” is usually inclusive. A sign saying 学生または六十五歳以上の方は半額 (“Half price for students or people aged 65 and over”) does not exclude someone who is both. If you need an exclusive “either A or B, not both,” Japanese normally makes that explicit with a phrase like どちらか一つ (“one of the two”).

Don’t confuse または with また, which means “again” or “also.” The extra は changes the word completely. また明日 is “see you tomorrow”; または明日 would be “or tomorrow.”

How to form または

または sits between the two options. Both sides should be the same kind of thing: two nouns, two verb phrases, or two full sentences.

Two points on particles:

1. The particle usually goes after the second option only: バスまたは電車で. You don’t need バスでまたは電車で, although you will see it in very careful writing.
2. When または joins verb phrases or full sentences, put a comma or full stop before it. Written Japanese often uses 〜か、または〜 to join clauses: 明日電話するか、またはメールを送ります.

または itself never changes form. It is a conjunction, so there is nothing to conjugate.

When is または used?

• Forms and applications. 氏名またはニックネーム, 電話番号またはメールアドレス. Any time a form accepts one of several kinds of input.
• Instructions and rules. Exam papers say 黒の鉛筆またはシャープペンシルを使ってください. Websites say 現金またはクレジットカード.
• Announcements. Train and airport announcements use it for alternative routes and exits: 東口または西口をご利用ください.
• Polite business explanations. A clerk explaining options may use または to sound precise.

In casual speech, または sounds like you are reading from a sign. Among friends, use か: 明日か明後日 (tomorrow or the day after). または is correct Japanese in conversation too, but it is stiff.

または example sentences

Example 5 shows why the English translation sometimes needs “and”: the notice lists groups who qualify, and anyone in either group gets the discount.

Nuance of または

または is neutral and impersonal. It lays out options without any opinion about which is better. That makes it perfect for rules and notices and slightly cold in conversation. If a friend asks what to drink and you answer コーヒーまたは紅茶, it sounds like a menu.

It is also a statement word. または tells the reader what is possible. It does not ask the listener to decide. That is the job of それとも, which only appears in questions.

💡 Three “or”s: か in speech (コーヒーか紅茶), または in writing (コーヒーまたは紅茶), それとも between two questions (コーヒーにしますか、それとも紅茶にしますか).

At higher levels you will meet two close relatives: あるいは, which is equally formal and common in essays, and もしくは, which is typical of legal and official documents. At N4, または is the one to recognise and use in writing.

または vs それとも

Both translate as “or,” and learners often use them the wrong way round. The deciding question is simple: are you stating options, or asking someone to choose?

If there is a question mark at the end of the sentence and you are offering a choice, you want それとも. If you are informing someone of their options, または (or か in speech) is right.

Common mistakes with または

Is または on the JLPT?

In reading questions, または often decides the answer. If a flyer says 電話またはメールで申し込んでください, an answer choice saying you must sign up in person is wrong, and one saying you can sign up by email is right. Read both sides of または carefully; test writers like to hide the correct option on the side you skimmed.

Practice questions for または

Learning path for または

Related grammar to review next

• それとも — the “or” you use when asking someone to pick between two questions.
• か〜か — the everyday spoken “or” that または replaces in writing.
• や — lists examples with “and,” a common mix-up in notices.
• あるいは — a formal written “or” that often appears alongside または in essays.

Browse more lessons here:

• All grammar lessons
• JLPT N4 grammar lessons

Learn または with Hane

Hane shows または in notices and forms like the ones on the JLPT reading section, so you get used to reading both options. Practise または in Hane.