A particle used to list items non-exhaustively (e.g., 'A and B and ...', meaning 'A, B, and so on').
机の上に教科書やノートが散らばっている。
There are textbooks, notebooks, and such scattered on the desk.
スーパーでパンや牛乳を買ってきてください。
Please buy bread, milk, and so on at the supermarket.
彼女はギターや作詞をしている。
She does things like playing guitar and writing lyrics.
A conjunction used after the dictionary form of a verb to indicate that another event happened immediately after (the minute that / no sooner than).
チャイムが鳴るや、生徒たちは教室を飛び出した。
No sooner had the bell rung than the students rushed out of the classroom.
ドアを開けるや、冷たい風が入ってきた。
The moment I opened the door, a cold wind came in.
試合が始まるや、観客は一斉に立ち上がった。
As soon as the match started, the spectators all stood up.
A copula used in Kansai dialect equivalent to 'だ'/'です' (to be).
それは違うや。
That's not right.
彼、学生やで。
He's a student, you know. (Kansai)
今日、雨やから傘を持って行きなさい。
It's going to rain today, so take an umbrella.
An exclamatory particle used as a cutting word in haiku and linked verse to create emphasis or a pause (e.g., '古池や…').
松尾芭蕉の有名な句「古池や 蛙飛びこむ 水の音」。
Bashō's famous haiku: 'Old pond— / a frog jumps in / the sound of the water.'
An interjection expressing surprise or disbelief (like 'oh!' or 'what!').
や、そんなことがあったのか！
Oh, did that really happen!
や、君が来るなんて思わなかったよ。
Oh— I didn't expect you to come.
A masculine interjection or greeting (a shortened form of 'yaa' / 'hey'), used to call out to someone.
や、久しぶり！元気だったか？
Hey, long time no see! How have you been?
An archaic exclamation meaning roughly 'indeed' or 'ah', now mostly obsolete and found in classical texts.
や、それこそ我が望みなり。（古風な表現）
Ah, that is indeed my desire. (archaic style)
An archaic particle that indicated a question (something like 'is it? / isn't it?'); no longer in common use.
これや？（古い言い方で「これは〜か？」の意）
Is this so? (an old-fashioned way of asking)