など details
and so on; such as — marks a list as a sample, not the whole set
旅行の準備で、着替えや薬などをかばんに入れました。
ryokou no junbi de, kigae ya kusuri nado o kaban ni iremashita.
Getting ready for the trip, I put a change of clothes, medicine and so on into my bag. neutral
食後に紅茶などいかがですか。
shokugo ni koucha nado ikaga desu ka.
How about some tea after your meal? neutral
- colloquial
- colloquial
Examples
and so on; such as — names a few members and marks the rest as unlisted, usually with や between the items
旅行の準備で、着替えや薬などをかばんに入れました。
ryokou no junbi de, kigae ya kusuri nado o kaban ni iremashita.
Getting ready for the trip, I put a change of clothes, medicine and so on into my bag. neutral
週末は洗濯や掃除などで終わっちゃった。
shuumatsu wa sentaku ya souji nado de owatchatta.
My weekend got eaten up by laundry, cleaning and so on. casual
当日は、筆記用具や身分証明書などをご持参ください。
toujitsu wa, hikki yougu ya mibun shoumeisho nado o go jisan kudasai.
On the day, please bring writing implements, identification and the like. formal
など on a single item — plays it down, whether to soften an offer or to brush the thing aside
食後に紅茶などいかがですか。
shokugo ni koucha nado ikaga desu ka.
How about some tea after your meal? neutral
気分転換に、散歩などしてみてはどうでしょう。
kibun tenkan ni, sanpo nado shite mite wa dou deshou.
Why not try something like a walk for a change of scene? neutral
疲れてるんだし、今日は掃除なんかしなくていいよ。
tsukareteru n da shi, kyou wa souji nanka shinakute ii yo.
You're worn out — you don't have to bother with cleaning or anything today. casual
Formation
{N}などattaches to noun
Variant notes
- なんか — the spoken form, and the one that carries a shrug — 映画なんか興味ない.
- なんて — spoken too, but it adds disbelief or dismissal rather than vagueness — 謝る必要なんてない.
Notes
closes them off (パンや卵など). を and が are optional after it
(薬など／薬などを); に, で and から are not
(病院などに).
Related patterns
Similar
など leans to writing and careful speech and closes the list from outside (AやBなど); とか is spoken and repeats on every item (AとかBとか), so a notice or a report takes など where a conversation takes とか.
といった demands the category noun the items exemplify right after it (犬や猫といった動物) and needs at least two of them; など needs neither — a single noun plus など is a complete phrase.