〜たり〜たりする means do things like A and B. It is a JLPT N5 pattern for listing a few example actions without claiming the list is complete: 「週末は映画を見たり、買い物をしたりします。」 — On weekends I do things like watch movies and go shopping.
It answers the classic small-talk question 「週末は何をしますか。」 Nobody does just one thing on a weekend, and nobody lists everything. たり lets you give two representative examples and imply “and so on.”
〜たり〜たりする — pick a couple of sample actions, add り to their た-forms, and finish with する.
What does たり〜たり mean?
たり〜たり turns actions into a sample list. The English depends on the sentence:
- do things like A and B
- sometimes A, sometimes B
- A and B, among other things
- go back and forth between A and B (with opposite verbs like 行ったり来たり)
The key idea is “examples, not the full picture.” When you say 本を読んだり、音楽を聞いたりします, the listener understands you also do other things. The order of the actions doesn’t matter either; たり doesn’t say which came first.
How to form たり〜たり
Take the た-form (plain past) of each verb and add り. Then end the whole list with する, and put the tense and politeness on that final する.
- 読む → 読んだ → 読んだり
- 書く → 書いた → 書いたり
- 食べる → 食べた → 食べたり
- 行く → 行った → 行ったり
- 買い物する → 買い物した → 買い物したり
The た-form keeps all its sound changes (読んだ, 泳いだ, 行った), so if your た-form is solid, たり is easy. Only the last する changes for tense and politeness:
- します — present polite (habits)
- しました — past polite
- したいです — want to
- してはいけません — must not
When is たり〜たり used?
- Talking about free time: 「休みの日は何をしますか。」「掃除をしたり、料理をしたりします。」
- Describing past events: 「旅行でお寺を見たり、温泉に入ったりしました。」
- Plans and wishes: 「夏休みは泳いだり、山に登ったりしたいです。」
- Rules: 「教室で食べたり飲んだりしてはいけません。」 — eating, drinking, and that kind of thing are not allowed.
- Alternating actions: 「部屋を出たり入ったりする」 — going in and out repeatedly.
Register: the pattern is neutral and fits both polite and casual speech. In casual talk the final する can be dropped when the verb is obvious from context, but at N5 always include it.
たり〜たり example sentences
週末は映画を見たり、買い物をしたりします。
On weekends I do things like watch movies and go shopping.
休みの日は本を読んだり、音楽を聞いたりします。
On my days off I read books, listen to music, that kind of thing.
昨日は友達と公園で走ったり、写真を撮ったりしました。
Yesterday I went running in the park with a friend, took photos, and so on.
夏休みは海で泳いだり、山に登ったりしたいです。
Over summer break I want to do things like swim in the sea and climb mountains.
図書館では、食べたり飲んだりしてはいけません。
You can’t eat or drink in the library.
日曜日は部屋の掃除をしたりします。
On Sundays I do things like clean my room.
Example 6 uses only one たり. That is natural Japanese: it gives one example and hints at others, softening the statement (“cleaning and stuff”). Example 5 shows that the rule doesn’t forbid only eating and drinking — it covers that whole kind of behaviour.
Nuance of たり〜たり
たり keeps things loose and non-exhaustive. Compare:
- 「映画を見て、買い物をしました。」 — I watched a movie, then went shopping. (A clear sequence, and that’s what you did.)
- 「映画を見たり、買い物をしたりしました。」 — I did things like watching a movie and shopping. (No order, probably more activities.)
Because it avoids a precise, complete list, たり sounds relaxed and conversational when you describe your life. It would be odd in a timetable or instructions where the steps and order matter.
Nouns or actions? For a sample list of nouns, use や: パンや卵を買いました. For a sample list of actions, use たり: パンを買ったり、卵を買ったりしました. Same “and so on” idea, different word type.
たり〜たり vs て
Both たり and the て-form can join two actions, and both are translated with “and,” but they make different claims.
If order matters (“first A, then B”), use て, or てから to stress that B came after A. If you are giving examples of what you do or did, use たり.
Common mistakes with たり〜たり
Each listed action needs its own たり, and the list ends with する.
り goes on the た-form, including its sound changes, not on the dictionary form.
The たり forms are always plain. Politeness and tense go only on the final する.
A precise schedule is a sequence, not a sample list. Use て.
Is たり〜たり on the JLPT?
Yes. たり〜たり is standard N5 grammar. It appears in sentence-order questions (where you must put たり and the final する in the right places) and in reading passages about hobbies, holidays, and weekends.
At N5 you should be able to:
- Form たり from the た-form of any verb
- Put tense and politeness only on the final する
- Understand that たり gives examples, not a full ordered list
In sentence-order questions, look for the fragment ending in したり or たり: the next piece is usually another たり or the closing します/しました.
Practice questions for たり〜たり
Show answer
週末はテニスをしたり、友達に会ったりします。 — On weekends I play tennis, meet friends, that kind of thing.
Show answer
京都でお寺を見たり、日本料理を食べたりしました。 — In Kyoto I saw temples, ate Japanese food, and so on.
Show answer
テストの時は、話したり、電話を使ったりしてはいけません。 — During the test, you must not talk or use your phones.
Show answer
休みの日は寝たり、テレビを見たりします。 — On my days off I sleep, watch TV, that sort of thing.
Learning path for たり〜たり
Related grammar to review next
- や — the “and so on” list for nouns, the partner of たり for actions.
- てから — “after doing,” for when the order of actions matters.
- てはいけない — often follows たり〜たり in rules: 食べたり飲んだりしてはいけない.
- とか〜とか — the casual N4 way to list examples, for both nouns and actions.
Learn たり〜たり with Hane
Hane has you describe weekends, trips, and rules with たり〜たり, and flags a missing second たり or final する. Try Hane.
FAQ about たり〜たり
What does たり〜たり (tari tari) mean in Japanese?
たり〜たり (tari tari) means “do such things as A and B”. It is JLPT N5 grammar. たり〜たり turns actions into a sample list.
How do you form たり〜たり (tari tari)?
Take the た-form (plain past) of each verb and add り. Then end the whole list with する, and put the tense and politeness on that final する.
What is the difference between たり〜たり and て?
〜たり〜たりする: sample actions, no order. 〜て、〜: sequence, complete.
What is an example sentence with たり〜たり (tari tari)?
週末は映画を見たり、買い物をしたりします。 — On weekends I do things like watch movies and go shopping.