だの

• Reading: だの
• Romaji: dano
• Formation: Noun だの Noun だの / Phrase だの Phrase だの

Meaning

A conjunction used to list nouns or quoted statements inexhaustively, similar to 'such things as' or 'and... and...' It often carries a dismissive, critical, or exasperated tone toward the items listed.

だの lists multiple items, actions, or quotes in a way that suggests there are more examples the speaker is not bothering to enumerate. Unlike や or とか, which are neutral listing particles, だの frequently conveys negative emotion — annoyance, complaint, or dismissiveness. The listed items are often things the speaker finds troublesome, excessive, or unreasonable. It typically appears in the pattern AだのBだの, with at least two items listed. When used with quoted speech, it reproduces complaints or demands the speaker finds tiresome: ああだのこうだの (this and that). It is a spoken, informal expression and would be out of place in polished formal writing.

Examples

1. 彼女は値段が高いだのデザインが古いだの、文句ばかり言っている。 She does nothing but complain — the price is too high, the design is outdated, and so on.
2. 毎日残業だの休日出勤だので、体を壊しそうだ。 With overtime and weekend shifts and the like every day, I feel like my body is going to break down.
3. 子供が漫画だのゲームだのにばかり時間を費やしている。 The kids spend all their time on nothing but manga and video games and such.

Usage Guide

Context: spoken, everyday

Tone: dismissive

Do Say

• 忙しいだの時間がないだの、結局やる気がないだけだろう。
• 引っ越しの準備で、荷造りだの手続きだのに追われている。
• 会議中にあれが必要だのこれが足りないだの、次々と注文をつけてきた。

Don't Say

• 花だの木だのが美しい。(Using だの for positive appreciation — だの typically carries a negative or dismissive nuance) → 花や木が美しい。
• 寿司だの食べた。(Using だの with only one item — it requires at least two items in a list) → 寿司やら天ぷらやら食べた。

Origin & History

だの combines the copula だ with the listing particle の. It emerged in the Edo period as a colloquial listing device and has retained its informal, slightly disparaging character in modern Japanese.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal