# と (to): "and", "with" and quotation

> How と links nouns into a complete list, marks who you do an action with, and introduces what someone says or thinks. Plus how it differs from や.

- Page: https://www.darumoji.com/en/guide/japanese-particle-to
- Content written by Darumoji: https://www.darumoji.com
- Published 2026-07-23

Along with の, と is one of the first particles to learn after the essential five. Three very frequent uses: "and" between nouns, "with" someone, and the spoken quotation mark that closes off a quote or a thought.

**と (to)**: Exhaustive list, accompaniment, quotation

## Use 1: "and" between nouns

`と` links **nouns**, and only nouns: you can't use it to join two sentences or two verbs. And the list is **closed**: you name everything there is, nothing else.

> 本とペンを買う。
>
> ほん to ペン o かう。
>
> Buy a book and a pen.

> 犬と猫がいる。
>
> いぬ to ねこ ga いる。
>
> There's a dog and a cat.

## Use 2: "with" someone

**Who you do the action with**: the person accompanying you is marked by `と`.

> 友達と映画を見る。
>
> ともだち to えいが o みる。
>
> Watch a movie with a friend.

> 母と買い物に行く。
>
> はは to かいもの ni いく。
>
> Go shopping with my mother.

To stress the togetherness, add `一緒に` (いっしょに): `友達と一緒に行く` (ともだち と いっしょに いく), "go there together with a friend".

## Use 3: quotation

`と` closes off what someone says or thinks, like a spoken quotation mark. What comes before `と` is the content; the verb after it, `言う` (いう, to say) or `思う` (おもう, to think), tells what's done with it.

> 「ありがとう」と言った。
>
> 「ありがとう」 to いった。
>
> He said "thank you".

> 面白いと思う。
>
> おもしろい to おもう。
>
> I think it's interesting.

## と vs や: closed list, open list

- **Complete list → と**: `本とペンを買った` (ほん と ペン を かった): "I bought a book and a pen". Nothing else: the list is **complete**.
- **Sample list → や**: `本やペンを買った` (ほん や ペン を かった): "I bought a book, a pen, among other things". The list is **open**: there was more.

> **Remember** In its "and" sense, `と` only links **nouns**, and the list is **complete**. To say "and" between two sentences, Japanese uses other tools (`そして`, the て-form). For a non-exhaustive sample list, it's `や`.

## What about conditional と?

You'll also run into `と` right after a verb: `ボタンを押すと、ドアが開く` (ボタン を おす と、ドア が あく), "as soon as you press the button, the door opens". That's **conditional** `と` (N4 level), meaning "as soon as / whenever". Save it for later: the three uses in this article cover the essentials of beginner Japanese.

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## Spot と in real sentences.

Paste a sentence into the translator and ask yourself which of the three と you're looking at.

- [Open the translator](https://www.darumoji.com/en/translate)
- [The 5 essential particles](https://www.darumoji.com/en/guide/essential-japanese-particles)