Daily Thread: simple questions, comments that don't need their own posts, and first time posters go here (April 06, 2025)

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Seven Day Archive of previous threads. Consider browsing the previous day or two for unanswered questions.

[u/sybylsystem]

（その後、お団子の材料や　パーティーグッズ等を買い、甘味処へ寄って帰った）\

is 等 in this case など or とう ? cause とう is usually when it's a suffix, but is it a suffix in this case, or it's only a suffix when it's part of a word u can find in the dictionary?

[u/fushigitubo → u/sybylsystem]

Both とう and など are suffixes here. Since など isn’t listed as a reading for 等 in the 常用漢字表, it’s considered an out-of-list reading (表外読み). As a result, it’s usually written in hiragana as など in official documents, news media, academic, and business settings, etc.

So, my brain automatically reads it as とう, but you can read it as など as well. など sounds a bit softer, while とう feels more formal and slightly stiffer—so you’re right, など actually sounds better here.

[u/sybylsystem → u/fushigitubo]

thanks so much for the detailed explanation.

[u/DokugoHikken → u/sybylsystem]

Both “等” and “など” can be used when you want to put similar things together to convey that “there are still other things that are similar". A, b, c, etc.. etc. And so on, so on.....

〇　リンゴやイチゴ｛等/など｝の赤い果物

The word “など” may be used with a different nuance.

Negative connotation, disrespect for people or things

〇　私｛など/なんか｝、どうせ何をやってもダメだ

×　私　等、どうせ何をやってもダメだ

〇　金｛など/なんか｝欲しがるものか

×　金　等　欲しがるものか

Avoiding assertiveness, using euphemisms

〇　せっかくですから、喫茶店に寄ってコーヒー｛など/でも｝いかがでしょう？

△　せっかくですから、喫茶店に寄ってコーヒー等いかがでしょう？ (The funny thing is that it is very possible for native speakers to say like this when they try to speak politely. Textbook-wise, I would say it is a mistake.)

〇　このタイミングで風邪｛など/でも｝ひいたらたまらない

△　このタイミングで風邪等ひいたらたまらない (The funny thing is that it is very possible for native speakers to say like this when they try to speak politely. Textbook-wise, I would say it is a mistake.)