または

ま

た

は

Common wordJLPTN4Freq.FrequencyTop 2,000

Meanings

1

conjunction

or; either ... or ...

usually written using kana alone

Used to present alternatives between nouns, phrases, or clauses. More formal than か, and common in both spoken and written Japanese.

コーヒーまたは紅こう茶

ちゃ

は

いかが

です

か

。

Would you like coffee or tea?

電でん話わまたはメールでご連れん絡らくください。

Please contact us by phone or email.

Usage patterns

〈物もの〉または〈物もの〉either ... or ... (choice between two items)
お飲のみ物ものはコーヒーまたは紅こう茶ちゃからお選えらびください。
Please choose either coffee or tea for your drink.
〈事こと〉または〈事こと〉either doing this or that (choice between two actions/conditions)
申もうし込こみはインターネットまたは郵ゆう送そうで行おこなってください。
Please apply either online or by mail.

Grammar

またはOr (alternatives)N4

Kanji

又or again, furthermore, on the other hand

Related words· 6

か
か is a shorter, more casual particle for listing alternatives, while または is more formal and clearly separates distinct options.
あるいはN3
あるいは has a more literary or emphatic tone, whereas または is the neutral, everyday choice for stating alternatives.
もしくはN1
もしくは is used almost identically to または in formal writing, but または is slightly more common in everyday speech.
ｏｒ
または is the standard Japanese word for 'or' used in both formal and everyday speech, while ｏｒ is a casual or technical loanword borrowed from English.

Show 2 more

それともN3
または is more formal and often used in writing or official contexts, while それとも is common in everyday conversation when offering choices, especially in questions.
ないしN1
または is the everyday neutral word for 'or', while ないし is more formal and often carries a sense of range or official alternatives.

Don't confuse with

並ならびにN1
並びに means 'and' (all items apply together) while 又は means 'or' (a choice between items), a distinction easily missed in dense legal writing.

Etymology

Compound of the kanji 又 (mata, 'again, also') and the particle は (wa, topic marker), originally meaning 'as for the other'. The kana spelling または is now standard.