など

〈物もの〉や〈物もの〉などsuch as ... and others (listing examples)
テーブルの上うえにはパンやチーズなどがあった。
On the table there was bread, cheese, and other things.
〜などと言いうto say something like ...
彼かれは「もう疲つかれた」などと言いった。
He said something like 'I'm already tired.'
〈人ひと〉などには〈形けい容よう詞し〉even someone like 〈人〉 is/isn't ... (self-deprecating)
私わたしなどにはとても無む理りです。
Someone like me could never do that.
例たとえば〈物もの〉などfor example, things like ...
例たとえば、りんごやみかんなど、果物くだものが好すきです。
I like fruits, for example apples and mandarins.
〈事こと〉など〈動どう詞し〉ないwouldn't even do such a thing as ...
そんなことなどしない。
I wouldn't do such a thing.

Grammar

など・なんかand so on; things likeN4

Kanji

等etc., and so forth, class (first)
抔and so forth

Related words· 10

とか sense 1
とか is casual and suggests the list is loose or incomplete, while など can be used in both casual and formal speech.
なんかN1sense 2
なんか is a very casual, colloquial variant of など, often used in spoken Japanese to add vagueness or downplay something.
や sense 1
や connects items within a list, while など comes at the end of the list to signal that more unmentioned items exist.
等とうN1
など is the common, everyday word for 'and so on', while 等 (とう) is the more formal, literary suffix used in official or written contexts.

Show 6 more

等とう々とう
など is the common, casual word for 'etc.', while 等々 is more formal and stresses a longer, varied list.
なんて
など is a neutral listing particle meaning 'etc.', while なんて adds an emotional, often dismissive or surprised tone.
なんぞ
など is the neutral, standard listing particle for 'and so on,' while なんぞ is a colloquial variant that often adds a dismissive or belittling tone.
云うん々ぬんN1
など is the common, everyday word for 'and so on', while 云々 is a more formal or literary way to indicate an unspecified continuation of a list or quote.
といった
など simply adds 'etc.' after a list, whereas といった explicitly frames the listed items as examples of a larger category.
その他ほかN2
など is a casual, common way to end a list with 'and so on', whereas その他 is more formal and typical of written or business Japanese.

Politeness

等とうpolite 丁寧語N1sense 1
等（とう）is the formal, written register used in legal or official documents, whereas など is the everyday spoken and written equivalent.

Don't confuse with

等とうN1
Written the same as 等 (とう), but read など it is the ordinary spoken word for 'etc.', whereas とう is its formal, literary reading used as a suffix.

Written forms

などUsage100%
Standard kana spelling; usually written in kana.
抔などUsage<1%
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form; learners should avoid this spelling.
等など
Kanji form is common in formal writing, but kana is preferred in everyday use.

Etymology

Derived from the classical Japanese particle など, which itself comes from the combination of な (an old nominal particle) and と (quotative/comitative particle). The kanji 等 is a semantic borrowing meaning 'and so on'.