Translation guide
This guide covers how to express 'for instance' or 'for example' in Japanese, from common spoken phrases to formal written patterns.
Introduce a casual example in everyday speech.
The most common and versatile way to say 'for example' or 'for instance'. Used in both casual and formal contexts.
For instance, what do you do on weekends?
Hiragana version of 例えば, equally common and slightly more casual in feel.
For instance, like this.
Literally 'if I give an example', slightly more explicit. Common in presentations or explanations.
To give an example, Tokyo and Osaka are major cities.
Introduce a list of examples, often with 'such as' or 'like'.
Use や to list examples and など to mean 'and so on' or 'etc.' This is the standard way to give non-exhaustive examples.
I eat things like fruit and vegetables.
Casual listing particle, similar to 'like' or 'such as'. Often used in spoken Japanese.
Introduce an example in formal writing, speeches, or academic contexts.
Still the standard in formal writing. Often followed by a comma or period.
For instance, please refer to the data below.
Means 'as one example'. More formal and often used in reports or presentations.
Very formal, 'to illustrate with an example'. Used in academic or technical writing.
Highlight a concrete case or instance, often to clarify a point.
例えば introduces a general example, while 具体的には narrows down to a specific instance. Use 例えば for broad illustrations and 具体的には when you need to clarify with a concrete detail.
For instance, I like Japanese food.
Specifically, I like sushi and ramen.
In Japanese, starting every example with 例えば can sound repetitive. Vary with patterns like ～や～など or ～とか～とか, or simply state the example without a lead-in phrase.
For instance, what kind of music do you like?
There are many problems, for instance, the lack of staff.
On my days off, I do things like watch movies or go shopping.
As an example, I'll show last year's sales.
To illustrate, this theory is applied as follows.
To give one example, this product is environmentally friendly.