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N4Lesson notes · Oct 26, 2026

For example in Japanese: 例たとえば (tatoeba), とか, など and how to list things without sounding like a textbook

"For example" in Japanese is 例たとえば (たとえば). It works on its own to introduce an example or an imagined situation; adding とか or など is optional, and みたいな + noun is a separate pattern.

The trouble is rarely the word itself. It is what learners put around it: an example with no topic to attach to, a hypothetical without the right ending, or a 例たとえば dropped in where たとえ…ても ("even if") was meant. This article walks through those three slips, then compares the listing words side by side.

The basics

What does 例たとえば do in a sentence?

例たとえば introduces one case that illustrates a general point. It helps if the listener can tell what the case illustrates, from your previous sentence or the other person's question.

「どんな料理りょうりが作つくれる?」「例たとえば、ラーメン。」 — "What dishes can you make?" "Ramen, for one." (casual conversation, the question supplies the topic) 大都市だいとしでは家賃やちんが高たかいです。例たとえば、東京とうきょうや大阪おおさかなどでは、狭せまい部屋へやでも家賃やちんが高たかいです。 — Rent is high in big cities. In Tokyo and Osaka, for example, rent is high even for a small room. (polite, written style)

A common slip: starting with the example and no context.

✗ 例たとえば、納豆なっとう。 — (not ungrammatical, but it does not fit as an opener: nothing has been said yet, so the listener cannot tell what 納豆なっとう is an example of) ✓ 苦手にがてな食べ物たべものがあります。例たとえば、納豆なっとうです。 — There are foods I don't like. Natto, for example. (topic first, then the example)

Do I need とか or など after the example?

No. 例たとえば、ラーメン。 is a complete, natural answer to a question. Adding とか or など tells the listener "there are more like this" or softens a suggestion. (みたいな is different: 京都きょうとみたいな古ふるい町まち means "an old town like Kyoto", where it modifies the noun that follows.)

「どこか行いきたいところある?」「京都きょうと、とか?」 — "Anywhere you want to go?" "Kyoto, maybe?" (casual, trailing とか makes it a tentative suggestion) 休やすみの日ひは、映画えいがとか見みてるよ。 — On days off I watch movies and stuff. (casual, とか blurs the list) 休やすみの日ひは、映画えいがなどを見みています。 — On days off I watch movies and the like. (polite, slightly more formal than とか)

とか is the soft, spoken one; など sounds more formal. Asked 「訪問先ほうもんさきは?」, 東京とうきょうです。 is a firm answer, 東京とうきょうなどです。 leaves room for others, and 東京とうきょうとか? throws it out as an idea.

Can 例たとえば introduce a whole sentence?

Yes. The example is then a full sentence, and nothing needs to follow it.

雨あめの日ひの散歩さんぽが嫌きらいな犬いぬもいます。例たとえば、うちの犬いぬは雨あめの日ひに散歩さんぽに行いきたがりません。 — Some dogs hate walks on rainy days. My dog, for example, will not go out when it rains. (neutral, general point first)

Beyond the basics

What is the second job of 例たとえば?

It sets up an imagined situation, a "say…" or "suppose…". English "for example" can do this too (For example, if it rains tomorrow…), but "say" or "suppose" often reads more naturally in English.

例たとえば、明日あした雨あめだったら、どうする? — Say it rains tomorrow, what do we do? (neutral, hypothetical question) 例たとえばの話はなしだけど、会社かいしゃを辞やめるとしたら、その後あとどうする? — Just hypothetically, if you quit your job, what would you do afterward? (casual, 例たとえばの話はなし flags "this is imaginary") 例たとえばさ、もし俺おれが消きえたら、どうする? — Hey, say I disappeared, what would you do? (casual, dramatic, anime-style)

The giveaway is what comes next: たら, なら, としたら, often with もし, and then a question or consequence.

Another slip: using 例たとえば for "say…" with no conditional ending.

✗ 例たとえば、来週らいしゅうバスが遅おくれる、どうしますか。 — (awkward as one sentence: the "if" is unmarked; split into two sentences with そうなったら and it would work) ✓ 例たとえば、来週らいしゅうバスが遅おくれたら、どうしますか。 — Say the bus is late next week, what will you do? (たら carries the "if")

Is 例たとえば the same as たとえ…ても?

No. たとえ…ても means "even if, no matter whether". 例たとえば means "for instance, say". Think meaning, not ending: do you want to say the result does not change, or do you want to offer a case?

たとえ雨あめでも、行いきます。 — Even if it rains, I'll go. (firm, the result does not change) 例たとえば、雨あめでも試合しあいをするチームもあります。 — For example, some teams play even in the rain. (neutral, one case among several) 例たとえば、宝たからくじが当あたっても仕事しごとを辞やめない人ひともいます。 — For example, some people would not quit their job even if they won the lottery. (neutral, 例たとえば offers a case, ても belongs to the case)

Notice the last one: ても can appear inside an example, so you cannot tell the two apart by the ending alone. たとえ is normally written in hiragana, which is another clue.

A third slip: choosing 例たとえば when the meaning is "no matter what".

✗ 例たとえば雨あめでも、行いきます。 — (does not fit this intention: it reads as "for instance, even in rain, I'd go", an example rather than a promise) ✓ たとえ雨あめでも、行いきます。 — Even if it rains, I'll go. (たとえ marks the "no matter what")

How does it sound in casual speech?

When the topic is already clear, people often skip 例たとえば and let とか do the work.

「どんなのがある?」「ラーメンとか?」 — "What kinds are there?" "Ramen, maybe?" (casual, rising intonation, tentative) 京都きょうとみたいな古ふるい町まちが好すきです。 — I like old towns like Kyoto. (みたいな + noun, a different pattern from とか)

What about 例れい as a noun, and 一例いちれい?

例れい (れい) is "example". 一例いちれい (いちれい) is "one example" and sounds more formal.

例れいを一ひとつ挙あげてもらえますか。 — Could you give me one example? (polite, 挙あげる = to cite) これは悪わるい例れいです。 — This is a bad example. (neutral) これはほんの一例いちれいです。 — This is just one example. (formal-leaning, presentation or written style)

Careful: 例れいの is not "example's". 例れいの件けん means "that matter we both know about".

Common mistakes

  • Stacking listing words. 例たとえば、りんごとかみかんなどとか is cluttered. Pick one closer per list.
  • Treating なんか as a neutral listing word. 〇〇なんか can sound dismissive: 勉強べんきょうなんか嫌きらい means roughly "I hate stuff like studying". The difference from 何なにか is in anything in Japanese.

Which word do I use to list things?

Use the table to choose by register, position and whether the word can finish a sentence.

The last column asks whether the word, or the noun with です, can close a short utterance.

Word Register Position Can end a sentence?
例たとえば Neutral Usually before the example Only as a one-word question: 例たとえば?
とか Casual After an item (映画えいがとか見みる) or after each item Yes, trails off: ラーメンとか。
など More formal, written After the last item (映画えいがなどを見みる) Can close a short answer or note: 和食わしょくなど。 Rarely trails off
や Neutral Between items, often followed by など No
なんか Casual After an item Sometimes; can sound dismissive
みたいな Casual Before a noun: 京都きょうとみたいな町まち Not as a list word; spoken tags exist but are a separate habit
一例いちれい Written A noun phrase, 一例いちれいを挙あげると / ほんの一例いちれいです Yes, as a noun: これは一例いちれいです
例れい Neutral A noun, 例れいを挙あげる / いい例れい Yes, as a noun: いい例れいです

One last contrast. どれ is for picking among options that are already shared in the conversation, while 例たとえば offers examples. For choosing between options, see which in Japanese.

Practice

Build each answer before opening it. Questions 1 and 2 are a pair (casual vs formal), 3 and 4 are a pair (topic needed vs supplied), 7 and 8 are a pair (たとえ vs 例たとえば).

1. You tell a friend casually: 「参考書さんこうしょ__、持もってくるね。」 Which is more natural in this scene, とか or など?

Show answer

とか — both are grammatical, but とか is the casual, blurry one and fits a chat with a friend.

2. Now a formal report: 「参考書さんこうしょや論文ろんぶん__の資料しりょうを用意よういします。」 Which is more natural?

Show answer

など — など sounds more formal and suits written sentences.

3. Someone starts a conversation with 例たとえば、納豆なっとう。 What is missing for the listener?

Show answer

Context. Nothing says what 納豆なっとう is an example of. A first sentence such as 苦手にがてな食べ物たべものがあります。 fixes it.

4. 「どんな果物くだものが好すき?」「例たとえば、みかん。」 Does the answer need とか added?

Show answer

No. The question supplies the topic, and a bare example is natural. とか would only add "and others".

5. Say: "Say you could live anywhere, where would you live?"

Show answer

例たとえば、どこにでも住すめるとしたら、どこに住すむ? — 例たとえば as "say…", followed by としたら and a question.

6. Fix this sentence so the hypothetical works: 例たとえば、電車でんしゃが止とまる、どうする?

Show answer

例たとえば、電車でんしゃが止とまったら、どうする? — the conditional たら expresses the "if"; the plain form alone leaves it out.

7. You want to promise "no matter what": __雪ゆきでも、試合しあいに行いく。 Which word?

Show answer

たとえ — the meaning is "even if, whatever happens", not an example.

8. You want to offer one case: __、雪ゆきでも練習れんしゅうするチームもある。 Which word?

Show answer

例たとえば — it presents one team as an illustration of a wider point, so it is "for instance".

9. Say "This is a good example."

Show answer

これはいい例れいです。 — 例れい is the noun, and いい modifies it directly.

FAQ

How do you write "for example" in hiragana? たとえば. Both 例たとえば and たとえば are used.

What is "instance" in Japanese? It depends on the sense. 例れい (れい) is "an example", 事例じれい (じれい) is a documented case, and "in this instance" is usually この場合ばあいは.

How do you write "e.g." in Japanese? In headings and notes, 例れい:or 例れい) followed by the item is common. 例たとえば fits running sentences, written or spoken.

Is 〜のような the same as 例たとえば? They often team up. 例たとえば京都きょうとのような古ふるい町まちが好すきです means "For example, I like old towns like Kyoto." のような attaches to the noun it describes.

What does 例たとえば? on its own mean? It is a short question, "like what?", with rising intonation. It asks the other person to give an example of something vague they just said.

Vocabulary from this article

Tap the block to select all of it, then copy. In Anki: File → Import, note type Basic, separator Tab — the first column becomes the front, the second the back.

例えば	たとえば — for example, say, suppose
例	れい — example
一例	いちれい — one example
挙げる	あげる — to cite, to give (an example)
家賃	やちん — rent
散歩	さんぽ — walk
宝くじ	たからくじ — lottery
試合	しあい — match, game

I'm Yuuki, a Japanese teacher based in Tokyo. I've taught on italki as a Top 1% teacher and watched over 1,500 anime, so most of the example sentences on this blog come from lines I've actually heard in anime and in class, including this one, which trips up learners at almost every level. For practice with feedback, Book a trial lesson · $13, or work through Japanese practice exercises first.

Sources: the author's own lessons and standard reference grammars.

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