What with… and: 〜やら〜やら
N / plain form + やら + N / plain form + やら
A やら B やら: listing a few items among others, all jumbled together, when you're swamped or feelings are mixed (うれしいやら恥ずかしいやら). Lively tone, neutral to spoken.
In short
〜やら〜やら lists a couple of examples among many, when everything's jumbled together and you're swamped: “what with… and…”. With adjectives or verbs, it conveys mixed feelings (うれしいやら恥ずかしいやら). The tone is lively, often a bit overwhelmed or exasperated.
- 宿題やらバイトやらで、毎日忙しい。しゅくだいやらバイトやらで、まいにちいそがしい。What with homework and my part-time job, I'm busy every day.
- みんなの前でほめられて、うれしいやら恥ずかしいやら。みんなのまえでほめられて、うれしいやらはずかしいやら。Being praised in front of everyone, I was pleased and embarrassed at the same time.
- 引っ越しの前は、荷造りやら手続きやらで大変だった。ひっこしのまえは、にづくりやらてつづきやらでたいへんだった。Before the move, what with packing and paperwork, it was a mad rush.
The basics
やら comes from an old questioning expression (“is it…?”). In 〜やら〜やら, you mention two items as if at random, implying there are others and that the whole thing is confused or overwhelming. English says “what with… and…”.
The list is often followed by で (“because of all that”) and a conclusion: 忙しい, 大変だ, 大騒ぎだ, さんざんだ.
What with homework and my part-time job, I'm busy every day.
- noun
- particle
- adjective
- 週末は掃除やら洗濯やらで、あっという間に終わった。しゅうまつはそうじやらせんたくやらで、あっというまにおわった。What with cleaning and laundry, the weekend flew by.
How to form it
You can line up nouns, adjectives or verbs in the plain form. The two items come in a pair and are of the same kind.
| Base | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | N やら N やら（で） | 宿題やらバイトやらで |
| い-adj | 〜いやら〜いやら | うれしいやら恥ずかしいやら |
| Verb | 〜るやら〜るやら | 泣くやら叫ぶやら |
| Question word | 何やら, 誰やら | 何やら騒がしい |
- 泣くやら叫ぶやら、会場は大騒ぎだった。なくやらさけぶやら、かいじょうはおおさわぎだった。What with all the crying and shouting, the hall was in uproar.
- 何やら外が騒がしい。なにやらそとがさわがしい。There's some sort of commotion outside.
Mixed feelings
With two adjectives or verbs of emotion, 〜やら〜やら says you feel several things at once, sometimes contradictory, without being able to untangle them. Often the sentence stops there, leaving the rest hanging.
- 合格の知らせを聞いて、うれしいやらほっとするやら。ごうかくのしらせをきいて、うれしいやらほっとするやら。When I heard I'd passed, I was happy and relieved all at once.
やら, とか, や, だの
や (N5) lists neutrally, in writing and speech. とか (N4) is the spoken, relaxed version. やら adds the idea of “lots, all jumbled together”. だの (N1) goes further: you list things in order to complain or criticise (高いだの遠いだの、文句ばかり).
| Construction | Nuance | Example |
|---|---|---|
| A や B | neutral list | パンや牛乳を買った |
| A とか B とか | spoken list, examples | 映画とか音楽とか |
| A やら B やら | jumbled together, swamped | 宿題やらバイトやらで忙しい |
| A だの B だの (N1) | complaining | 高いだの遠いだの |
- スーパーでパンや牛乳を買った。スーパーでパンやぎゅうにゅうをかった。I bought bread, milk and so on at the supermarket. (や: neutral list)
Common mistakes
- Using it for a cold, orderly list (a form, an instruction manual): there, you say や or など.
- Forgetting the second やら, or pairing a noun with a verb: the two items come in a pair, of the same kind.
- Confusing it with the verb やる (“to do, to give”): やらない means “not do”, unrelated to this listing.
7 exercises on this point
Particles to choose, sentences to put back in order, translations: marked straight away, then reviewed at the right time. This JLPT N2 point is on the Kintetsu Nagoya Line (Rites and daily life) of the Nagoya lines.