Listing Actions

Learn how to list representative actions and states in Japanese using たり…たりする and the casual alternative とか.

Listing Actions

When you want to say 'I do things like X and Y,' Japanese uses the たり…たりする pattern. Unlike the te-form (which chains actions in sequence), たり presents a non-exhaustive list — it names a few representative examples while implying there are others.

English handles this with phrases like 'things like,' 'such as,' or 'and stuff.' Japanese grammaticalizes it: each item takes the たり form, and the sentence ends with する (do). The result is natural, everyday Japanese that appears from beginner level onward.

This page also covers とか, a casual particle that serves a similar listing function but works differently in structure.

たり…たりする — Listing Representative Actions

たり…たりする lists two or more actions as examples, implying the list is not complete. The sentence-final する is required and carries the tense and politeness.

Formation:

Take the た form of each verb and replace the final vowel sound with り:
見た → 見たり
読んだ → 読んだり
した → したり

Structure: [verb 1 たり] + [verb 2 たり] + する

The final する conjugates for tense and politeness:

映画を見たり、本を読んだり します (polite present)
映画を見たり、本を読んだりした (casual past)
映画を見たり、本を読んだり しています (ongoing habit)

The actions listed are not necessarily in order — たり simply says 'among other things, I do X and Y.'

The たり form is simply the た form + り. If you know the た form, you already know the たり form: 食べた → 食べたり, 飲んだ → 飲んだり, 行った → 行ったり. The same sound-change rules (って, んで, いて, etc.) apply.

Examples

週末は映画を見たり、本を読んだりします。
On weekends, I do things like watch movies and read books.
昨日は掃除したり、洗濯したりした。
Yesterday I did things like cleaning and laundry.
休みの日は友達と遊んだり、ゲームをしたりしています。
On my days off, I hang out with friends, play games, and so on.
旅行では写真を撮ったり、おいしいものを食べたりしました。
On the trip, I took photos, ate delicious food, and things like that.

Adjectives and States — Fluctuation

たり…たりする also works with adjectives and states to express fluctuation — something alternating between two conditions.

Formation:

い-adjectives: 暑い → 暑かったり (た form: 暑かった + り)
な-adjectives: 静か → 静かだったり (た form: 静かだった + り)
ている states: 混んでいる → 混んでいたり

This usage emphasizes inconsistency or unpredictability — the weather keeps changing, someone's mood fluctuates, results vary.

The final する can sometimes be replaced with だ when listing adjective states: 良かったり悪かったりだ (it's sometimes good, sometimes bad).

Examples

天気は暑かったり寒かったりする。
The weather is sometimes hot, sometimes cold.
この店は混んでいたり空いていたりする。
This shop is sometimes crowded, sometimes empty.
テストの点数は良かったり悪かったりだ。
My test scores are sometimes good, sometimes bad.
彼の態度は優しかったり冷たかったりして、よく分からない。
His attitude is sometimes kind, sometimes cold — I can't figure him out.

Single たり — Softened Examples

In practice, たり often appears just once rather than in pairs. A single たり + する gives one example while implying 'things like that' or 'and such.'

[verb たり] + する

This is especially common in:

Prohibitions: ～たりしないで (don't do things like...)
Negative judgments: ～たりするのはよくない (it's not good to do things like...)
Warnings: ～たりしたら (if you do something like...)

The single たり softens the statement — instead of directly saying 'don't lie,' you say 'don't do things like lying,' which sounds slightly less confrontational.

Examples

授業中に寝たりしないでください。
Please don't do things like sleeping during class.
人の悪口を言ったりするのはよくない。
It's not good to say bad things about people.
嘘をついたりしたら、信用をなくすよ。
If you do things like lie, you'll lose people's trust.
仕事中にスマホをいじったりしていませんか。
You're not doing things like playing with your phone during work, are you?

とか — Casual Listing

とか is a casual particle that lists examples, similar to 'like' or 'and stuff' in English. It's simpler than たり — just attach とか after each item.

Formation:

Nouns: 寿司とかラーメンとか (sushi and ramen and stuff)
Verbs (dictionary form): 映画とか買い物とかする (do things like movies and shopping)

とか can list both nouns and actions. Unlike たり, it doesn't require a final する — it just attaches to the items directly.

とか is very common in casual speech but sounds too informal for business or academic contexts. For those, たり…たりする or など (etc.) are more appropriate.

たり vs とか: たり is grammatically precise — it conjugates the verb and requires する at the end. とか is a casual particle — it simply attaches to words with no conjugation needed. Use たり in writing and formal speech; use とか in everyday conversation. They're often interchangeable in casual contexts, but とか can sound vague or sloppy in formal settings.

Examples

週末は映画とか買い物とかする。
On weekends I do stuff like watch movies and go shopping.
寿司とかラーメンとかが好きです。
I like things like sushi and ramen.
友達とカラオケとかボウリングとかした。
I did karaoke, bowling, and stuff with friends.
何か飲み物とか買ってきてくれない？
Could you go buy drinks or something?