JLPT N4. Used in both conversation and writing, although it is a casual expression.

し is used to list clauses. It can be used with verbs, adjectives, and nouns, but with na-adjectives and nouns the auxiliary verb is required.

The difference between ~し and ~たり is that ~し is used to list related things. For example, if someone asked you why you liked Wada-sensei you might reply:

和田先生わだせんせいあたまがいい面白おもしろ、それにとても親切しんせつです。
Wada-sensei is clever, amusing and, moreover, he’s kind.

All the above are related—they are reasons why you like Wada-sensei. One typical sentence structure is to list two reasons and then give the result at the end.

【Reason】し【Reason】し【Result】
あのおみせやす料理りょうりがおいしいきですよ。
That restaurant is cheap and the food is good—I like it.
残業ざんぎょうがあまりないやすみが簡単かんたんれる新卒しんそつなかでその会社かいしゃ人気にんきがありますよ。
There’s not much overtime, you can easily take holiday—that company is popular among new graduates.

し is often used at the end of the sentence to give a belated or secondary reason for something.

和田わだ 明日あしたはピックニックにくの?
Wada You going to the picnic tomorrow?
ロス そうだよ。ほかにやることない
Ross Yeah. Besides, I don’t have anything else to do.
はな 夏休なつやすみはバイトをしようとおもっているんだけど、どうおもう?
Hana I was thinking about getting a job during the summer holidays. What do you think?
大地だいち いえでぶらぶらすごごすよりいいんじゃない?おかねすこめられる
Daichi It’s better than hanging around the house all day? You can also save some money.
You May Also Like

Maybe/Possibility: ~かもしれない

かもしれない is translatable as “maybe”. It expresses less probability than adding the volitional form of the auxiliary verb…

Colloquial Japanese

One gripe among Japanese learners is that they learn all these verb conjugations and honorifics and then when…

Just Finished: 〜たばかり vs 〜たところ

We now have two ways of expressing that an action has just taken place. For example, “I’ve just…

Unwanted Similarity: ~っぽい

っぽい is typically used with adjectives and nouns to give your verdict on something based on how something…