とto“and; with”

と is a JLPT N5 particle with three everyday jobs: it means “and” between nouns (犬と猫), “with” for the person you do something with (友達と行く), and it marks quotes (「はい」と言う).

All three come from one idea: と connects things as partners. Two nouns stand side by side as a complete pair, two people act together, or a quote is joined to the verb that reports it. The most important limit is that “and” と joins nouns only. It cannot join verbs, adjectives, or sentences, which is the mistake English speakers make most.

と links nouns as a complete set ("A and B, that's all"), marks your partner ("with A"), and closes a quote.

What does と mean?

1. “And” — a complete list of nouns. パンと卵を買いました — I bought bread and eggs. The list is closed: bread and eggs, nothing more worth mentioning.

2. “With” — a companion or partner. 友達と映画を見ました — I watched a movie with a friend. With verbs that need two people, such as 話す (talk), 結婚する (marry), and けんかする (fight), と marks the other person: 母と話しました — I talked with my mom.

3. Quotation marker. 「ありがとう」と言いました — I said “thank you.” と connects what was said to verbs like 言う (say) and 聞く (ask/hear).

You’ll also see と in two useful comparison phrases at N5: 〜と同じ (the same as ~) and 〜と違う (different from ~). 私のかばんは田中さんのと同じです — my bag is the same as Tanaka-san’s.

How to form と

Rules to remember:

• In a list, と goes between items. The whole group then takes the next particle: 犬と猫が, パンと牛乳を.
• For “with,” you can add 一緒に for emphasis: 友達と一緒に行きます. Without a partner, use ひとりで (alone).
• と attaches to nouns (and pronouns) only in its “and” meaning. To join verbs, use the て-form (食べて、寝ました). To join adjectives, use くて or で (安くておいしい, きれいで静か).

When is と used?

• Listing what you have, buy, or like. 日本語と英語を話します.
• Saying who you did something with. 週末、家族と海へ行きました.
• Two-person actions. 会う, 話す, 結婚する, けんかする, 相談する all take と for the other person.
• Reporting speech. 先生は「静かにしてください」と言いました.
• Comparing sameness and difference. 〜と同じ, 〜と違う.

と is neutral and appears in every register — casual chat, polite speech, formal writing. It never needs to be swapped out for politeness.

と example sentences

Look at what comes right before と each time: always a noun or a quoted phrase in brackets. That’s your check for correct usage.

Nuance of と

In its “and” meaning, と implies the list is complete. 机の上に本とペンがあります says there’s a book and a pen on the desk — and nothing else worth mentioning. That is the key difference from や (below).

In its “with” meaning, と puts both people on equal footing. 田中さんと話しました means you and Tanaka-san had a conversation. Compare 田中さんに話しました, which means you told Tanaka-san something — a one-way action. Some verbs, such as 会う (meet), accept both: 友達と会う sounds like a planned meeting of two people, while 友達に会う can be a one-sided “run into.”

💡 Tip: At N4 you'll meet a fourth と: the conditional "when / if" after a verb (春になると暖かくなります). If と follows a dictionary-form verb, it isn't "and." See と (conditional).

と vs や

Both link nouns and both translate as “and,” but they describe the list differently.

Use と when you mean exactly those items. Use や when you’re picking representative examples. Only と can mean “with” or mark a quote — や has neither of those jobs.

Common mistakes with と

Is と on the JLPT?

A common item: 「だれ（　）行きましたか。」「兄と行きました。」 The question asks “with whom,” so the blank is と. If the answer were 兄が行きました, the question would use が instead.

Practice questions for と

Learning path for と

Related grammar to review next

• や — the non-exhaustive “and,” the partner learners confuse with と most.
• 一緒に — often paired with “with” と to stress doing something together.
• に — contrasts with と on verbs like 会う and 話す: one-way vs mutual.
• と思う — the N4 step from quoting speech to quoting your own thoughts.
• と (conditional) — the “when/if” と after verbs, which looks identical but works very differently.

Learn と with Hane

Hane drills と against や, に, and the て-form in short fill-in sentences, so you learn where “and” と stops working. Practice with Hane.