Use たり〜たりする when you’re giving a couple of representative examples (implying there’s more you’re not saying) or describing actions that flip back and forth — not when you’re stating the complete, ordered record of what happened.
This guide is for N5-N4 learners who keep reaching for て-form when they list activities. After reading, you’ll know exactly when to switch to たり〜たりする instead.
Quick summary: たり〜たりする marks a list as “just examples” or “back and forth,” while て-form or plain past marks a list as the complete, real story.
| Form | What It Signals | Typical Use |
|---|---|---|
| Aしたり、Bしたりする | a sample from a bigger, unstated set | listing example hobbies or activities |
| Aしたり、Bしたりする (opposite states, same verb pair) | repeating or alternating back and forth | on-and-off rain, pacing, fidgeting |
| Aして、Bした / A、Bした | the complete, real record of what happened, in order | recounting exactly what you did, no more no less |
- Why “A and B” Becomes たり and Not て in Japanese
- The One Line That Tells You: たり〜たりする or Just て-Form?
- たり〜たりする for “Things Like This and That” — Not the Whole List
- 降ったりやんだり: When たり〜たりする Means Back-and-Forth, Not a List
- Why たり Never Wants to Stand Alone (and Doesn’t Care About Order)
- FAQ: How to List Example Actions in Japanese with たり〜たりする
- Quick Quiz: Test Your たり〜たりする Sense
- Summary: What to Remember About たり〜たりする
Why “A and B” Becomes たり and Not て in Japanese
English “and” doesn’t care if your list is finished — Japanese does
In English, “I read and cooked on weekends” works two ways. It can mean your whole routine, or just two examples out of many.
English “and” doesn’t force you to pick. The listener has to guess from context whether that’s the full story or a small sample.
Japanese doesn’t let you stay vague like that. You have to choose the grammar that matches your meaning, before the sentence even ends.
Think of the English habit of tacking “that sort of thing” onto a list — “we did reading, cooking, that sort of thing” — which openly admits the list isn’t complete. たり〜たりする builds that same admission directly into the grammar of each verb, so you never need to add a tag phrase; the incompleteness is automatic.
In English, “that sort of thing” is optional. Drop it, and “I read and cooked” still sounds like it could be the whole weekend.
In Japanese, たり can’t be dropped halfway. Once you use it, the sentence generally sounds partial or alternating, even with just two verbs.
The One Line That Tells You: たり〜たりする or Just て-Form?
Sample-or-flip vs. the finished story
Ask yourself: “Am I hinting there’s more where this came from (or that this flips back and forth), or am I giving the complete, real record of what happened, in order?” Sample or flip-flop means たり〜たりする. Complete finite record means plain て-form or plain past.
Say you’re telling a friend about your weekend chores. If cleaning and laundry are just two examples among other chores, たり fits.
But if cleaning and laundry are literally the only two things you did, in that exact order, plain て-form is the honest choice. Try adding “etc.” in your head — if it fits without changing your meaning, use たり.
たり〜たりする for “Things Like This and That” — Not the Whole List
Using it for hobbies, routines, and club activities
When you use たり〜たりする for hobbies or routines, you’re pulling two examples out of a longer, unspoken list. The listener understands you’re not naming everything.
This is common when talking about vacations, weekends, or what a club does. It sounds natural and modest, instead of claiming a complete inventory.
One more detail: swapping the order of the two verbs doesn’t change the meaning. That’s very different from a fixed English “and” sequence.
Japanese: 夏休みは、海に行ったり、花火を見たりしました。
Romaji: Natsuyasumi wa, umi ni ittari, hanabi o mitari shimashita.
English: During summer break, I did things like going to the beach and watching fireworks.
Why: A student giving the teacher a sample of vacation activities, not a full itinerary — たり signals there’s more unmentioned.
Japanese: うちのサークルは、写真を撮ったり、カフェを巡ったりしています。
Romaji: Uchi no saakuru wa, shashin o tottari, kafe o meguttari shiteimasu.
English: Our club does things like taking photos and going around cafés.
Why: Describing a club’s typical activities as representative examples, not an exhaustive activity list.
降ったりやんだり: When たり〜たりする Means Back-and-Forth, Not a List
Same verb, opposite states, repeated
たり〜たりする has a second job. It can describe one thing switching between two states, over and over.
Rain starting and stopping is the classic example. So is someone standing up and sitting down, or pacing back and forth.
This use has nothing to do with “a couple of examples from a bigger set.” It’s about one action repeating in two opposite forms.
Japanese: 今日、雨が降ったりやんだりで、傘がいるかどうか迷いますね。
Romaji: Kyou, ame ga futtari yandari de, kasa ga iru ka dou ka mayoimasu ne.
English: It’s been raining on and off today, so I can’t decide if I need an umbrella.
Why: Same verb pair in opposite states shows the alternating/repeating meaning, distinct from the ‘sample list’ use.
Japanese: 授業中に立ったり座ったりしないで、ちゃんと座っていてね。
Romaji: Jugyouchuu ni tattari suwattari shinaide, chanto suwatteite ne.
English: Don’t keep standing up and sitting down during class — stay seated properly.
Why: Same tag, different situation: alternating physical actions, not a list of varied activities.
Why たり Never Wants to Stand Alone (and Doesn’t Care About Order)
A lone たり sounds cut off; contrast with the exhaustive て-form account
Using たり with just one verb sounds like you stopped mid-sentence. It generally promises at least one more unstated item.
週末は本を読んで、料理をします。
週末は本を読んだり、料理をしたりします。
English “I read and cook on weekends” works fine as both a complete routine and a casual example. English doesn’t split these two meanings apart, so learners default to て-form because it feels like “and.” They miss that Japanese needs たり to say “these are just examples, among other things.”
Common Mistake: 昨日、映画を見たりした。 Learners hear たり in casual speech and treat it like a soft flourish, similar to adding “or something” for flavor. But たり always implies at least one more unstated action, so a lone たり sounds like you cut yourself off. Say 昨日、映画を見た。 instead for one complete action.
Japanese: 新歓では、先輩と話したり、活動を見学したりできますよ。
Romaji: Shinkan de wa, senpai to hanashitari, katsudou o kengaku shitari dekimasu yo.
English: At the welcome event, you can do things like talk with senior members and watch the activities.
Why: Shows order-independence: talking and observing could happen in either sequence, unlike a fixed English ‘and’ list.
Japanese: 今朝は本当に大変で、傘を差して、走って駅まで行きました。
Romaji: Kesa wa hontou ni taihen de, kasa o sashite, hashitte eki made ikimashita.
English: This morning was rough — I put up my umbrella and ran all the way to the station.
Why: Contrast example with no たり at all: this is the complete, ordered record of what happened, which is why て-form (not たり) is correct here.
FAQ: How to List Example Actions in Japanese with たり〜たりする
Does たり mean the actions happened in a specific order?
No. Unlike English “and,” which usually implies sequence, たり just presents examples from a set. The order you list them in doesn’t have to match the order they happened.
Can you use たり with only one verb in Japanese?
Grammatically you can attach たり to one verb, but it will sound cut off. たり generally implies there’s at least one more unstated item, so for a single complete action, just use plain past instead.
What’s the difference between たり and just connecting verbs with て in Japanese?
て-form lists (or plain past lists) present the complete, real record of what happened, usually in order. たり〜たりする presents the verbs as examples from a bigger, unstated set — or as actions alternating back and forth.
Quick Quiz: Test Your たり〜たりする Sense
Try these three before checking the answers below.
- Your friend asks what you do on weekends and you just want to give a couple of examples. Which is more natural: 週末は掃除したり洗濯したりします or 週末は掃除して洗濯します?
- How would you say “It kept raining and stopping all afternoon” using たり?
- Both of these are grammatical — 「掃除したり洗濯したりした」 and 「掃除して洗濯した」 — but they don’t mean the same thing. What’s the difference?
1. 週末は掃除したり洗濯したりします。 – たり signals these are just examples among other unmentioned weekend chores; the て-form version sounds like your entire weekend consists of exactly those two tasks, in that order.
2. 午後はずっと雨が降ったりやんだりしていた。 – This uses the same verb pair in opposite states (降る/やむ) to show alternating, repeated action rather than a list of different activities.
3. Both are correct, but they carry different meanings. – 「掃除したり洗濯したりした」 implies cleaning and laundry were just examples of chores you did, with other unmentioned tasks possibly included, and no fixed order implied. 「掃除して洗濯した」 states that cleaning and laundry were the complete, entire sequence of what you did, in that exact order, nothing more.
Summary: What to Remember About たり〜たりする
- たり〜たりする signals “here are a couple of examples” — it generally implies there’s more you’re not saying.
- The same pattern also describes one thing alternating between two states, like rain starting and stopping or someone pacing back and forth.
- Order inside a たり list isn’t fixed like English “and” — swap the verbs and the sentence still works the same way.
Once たり〜たりする feels natural, the next step is comparing it with other example-giving patterns you’ll meet at N4. Keep practicing with your own weekend or hobby list.
