yo... to... soredemo... soshitte... ka... when are different uses of the word "and" in Japanese appropriate? As for "ka", I'm assuming it's when an either/or question is being stated, but otherwise I'm slightly at a loss. Furthermore, (Soredemo?) there are times when such a word as "and" is overlooked completely (migi, hidari, mossugu, dochi ka?). Are there any clear guidelines in this regard or is it some linguistic free-for-all? Also, just a random inquiry, why are toes "ashi *no* yubi" whereas the ankle and wrist are merely "ashi kubi" and "te kubi"? :roll:

Keekiri-san! Excellent and very relevant question for all Japanese learners... __the _"And"_ in Japanese__ :shock: _(Some parts of the following explanation is taken from our Rocket Japanese Platimum course __Lesson 18.6 Particles showing Connections__)_ Unlike in English where the expression _"And"_ can work miracles - connecting nouns, people, actions, descriptions and so on, Japanese has more than just one way. *__と (to) = _"and_", but only between nouns__* There are many ways to say "and" in Japanese, but と (to) is the simplest and most commonly used one to link series of nouns and pronouns. Just be careful that と (to) CANNOT be used to link verbs, adjectives or clauses. と (to) combines the previous word with the next word and treats them as one group for the rest of the sentence. In this sense, と (to) functions exactly like the English "and". :arrow: かれ と わたし /*Kare __to__ watashi* / _"He and I"_ :arrow: いぬ と ねこ / *Inu __to__ neko* / _"Dogs and Cats"_ *__に (ni) = _"and_", formal ringing__* Like と (to), に (ni) can also be "And". Generally に (ni) connects items that belong to a set of some kind and is a list that is complete in itself. に (ni) has a more formal ring to it than the casual と (to). :arrow: *Kōhī futatsu __ni__ ocha mitsu __ni__ jyūsu yotsu desu ne.* / _"That's, 2 coffees and 3 teas and 4 juices, [right?]"_ *__も (mo) = _"also"_, the Includer__* も (mo) marks something as being in addition to something else. Thus, も (mo) indicates that the noun it follows is connected in some way in addition to something or someone else that has been previously mentioned in the given context: __[A specified item or person] + *も* = [A specified item or person] _too / also / as well___ :arrow: わたし も わからない。/ *Watashi __mo__ wakaranai.* / _"I, too, don't understand."_ or _"I don't understand it, either."_ *__や (ya) = _"and others"_, Partial List Maker__* や (ya) is usually equivalent to the English word "and", however, like と (to) it can link only nouns and pronouns. The subtle difference between や (ya) and と (to) is that や (ya) generally implies "and others" while と (to) suggests "and that is all." English equivalents of や (ya) are "and such," "among other things," or "such as" :arrow: すし や てんぷら が すき です。 / *Sushi __ya__ tempura ga suki desu.* / _"I like sushi and tempura, among other things."_ *__て (te) = _"[do this] and then [do that]"_ __* Using a Te-Form verb often implies a chronological sequence: what precedes the Te-form takes place first, and what follows the Te-form takes place next. The て (te) bit of the action words thus expresses something similar to *_"and then,"_* implying _"do this and then do that."_ :arrow: は を みがい て、ねます。/ *Ha o migai__te__, neru.* / _"I brush my teeth and [then] go to bed."_ :arrow: あさ ごはん たべ て、でかける。/ *Asogohan tabe__te__, dekakeru.* / _"I eat my breakfast and [then] go out (leave)."_ *__そして (soshite) = _"and/and then/and as a result"_ __* そして (soshite) is often used at the beginning of a sentence like saying "And then..." The "and" for [sentence + sentence] is そして (soshite). :arrow: そして、こい が はじまる。 / *__Soshite__, koi ga hajimaru.* / _"And then, love begins."_ *__それから (sore kara) = _"After then..."_ __* それから (sore kara) is literally "from that," implying "after that/in addition to that" or "and then". It is used when something happens after something else. :arrow: わたし は あさごはん を たべます。 それから、しごと を はじめます。 / *Watashi wa asa-gohan o tabemasu. __Sorekara__, shigoto o hajimemasu.* / _"I eat breakfast. And then, I start work."_ *__それで (sore de) = _"And so..."_ __* それで (sore de) is often used as a connecting word at the beginning of a sentence, like "so" or "and so". Often referring to what is mentioned before - "because of that..." :arrow: それで、かれ は どんな ひと？ / *__Sorede__, kare wa donna hito?* / "And so, what kind of person is he?" *__それでも (sore demo) = _"Even so..."_ __* それでも (sore demo) implying "even so/even considering that/despite that/nevertheless" is composed of それ (sore) or "that" which refers to what has just been said and, でも (demo) adding the meaning "even" or "despite". :arrow: それでも、わたしは　あなた が すきです。 / *__Soredemo__ watashi wa anata ga suki desu.* / "Even so (nevertheless), I [still] like you."

Kimi no okagesama wa ojouzu desu. Kore wa atashi no kange desu.