だの
Things like, And so on, Or something, And whatnot
Structure
A(1) + だの + 何だの
(1) Noun、Quotation
Explanation
While だの was historically formed from the auxiliary verb だ and the particle の, in contemporary Japanese it functions as an independent adverbial particle. It's used for listing examples, much like など or とか. As a result, it is frequently translated into English as 'and things like (A)', or '(A) and whatnot'.
だの requires a minimum of two items to be listed, and it must follow each item in the list. The things being listed are often either contrasting concepts or items that share a similar negative characteristic.
だの can be attached directly to verbs, い-Adjectives, nouns, or even quoted speech.
- 息子は学校に行きたくないだの、早く起きられないだのと言って、ベッドから出てこない。My son won't get out of bed, giving excuses such as not wanting to go to school, or not being able to wake up early and so on.
- このアパートは古いだの駅から遠いだのと、みんなが不満を言っている。Everyone is complaining that this apartment is old, far from the station, and so on, so no one is happy.
- 甘いものだのスナック菓子だのばかり食べていると太るよ。If you only eat things like sweets, snack foods, and whatnot, you're definitely going to gain weight.
- 部長は暑いだの疲れただのと、一日中ぐちを言っている。My manager complains all day long, saying it's hot, that he's tired, and so forth.
- 彼女は「時間がない」だの「お金がない」だのと言って、何も新しいことを始めようとしない。She won't try anything new, always saying things like, 'I don't have time' or 'I don't have money'.
Caution
When the words paired with だの are opposites, it implies a wide range of possibilities within that spectrum. Conversely, when the words are similar, it typically highlights a group of undesirable things in that category. In either case, the overall sentence tends to convey the speaker's irritation, dissatisfaction, or weariness concerning the listed items.
- 彼は行くだの行かないだのと、はっきりしないから困る。His indecisiveness is a problem; he keeps saying things like he'll go, and then he won't go, and so on. (Opposite ends of a spectrum)
- 彼の部屋は狭いだの暗いだのと、文句ばかり聞かされる。All I ever hear are his complaints about his room for reasons like it being too small or too dark. (Both negative)
Examples
あのホテルは部屋が狭いだの、汚いだのと不満を言っていた。
He was complaining that the room at that hotel was too small, or that it was dirty, and so on.
彼女のファッションに不満な彼氏：「ピンクだの黄色だの、そんな派手な色ばかり着るなよ。」
A boyfriend unhappy with his girlfriend's fashion: 'Don't just wear flashy colors like pink and yellow and all that.'
息子は公園に行きたいだのおもちゃが欲しいだのと、毎日わがままばかり言う。
My son is always making selfish demands every day, like 'I want to go to the park' or 'I want a toy' and so on.
彼は遅刻した時、いつも「電車が遅れた」だの「目覚ましが鳴らなかった」だのと、見えすいた嘘をつく。
Whenever he's late, he always tells obvious lies, things like 'the train was late' or 'my alarm didn't go off' and whatnot.
同僚は給料が安いだの残業が多いだのと愚痴ばかりこぼしている。
My coworker is always grumbling about the low pay, the long overtime hours, and so forth.
夜更かしだの暴飲暴食だの、不健康な生活を続けていたら病気になるよ。
If you keep up an unhealthy lifestyle with things like staying up late and binge eating and drinking and all that, you're going to get sick.
妻に「ゴミを出して」だの「部屋を掃除して」だのと言われるのが嫌で、休日は外出するようにしている。
I hate my wife telling me 'take out the trash' or 'clean your room' and all that, so I try to go out on my days off.
ピザだのハンバーガーだの、そんなものばかり食べていると栄養が偏るよ。
If you only eat things like pizza and hamburgers and so on, your diet will be unbalanced.
先生に字が汚いだの集中しろだのと注意されて、やる気がなくなった。
After being warned by the teacher about things like my messy handwriting or being told to focus, I lost all my motivation.
うちの親は門限が早いだのスマホを使い過ぎだのと、いちいち口うるさい。
My parents are always nagging about every little thing, like my curfew being too early, or that I use my phone too much and whatnot.
口では夢を追うだの何だのと言っているが、彼は何も行動していない。
He talks a big game about 'chasing his dreams' and all that nonsense, but he hasn't taken any action at all.
会議にうんざりしている社員：「計画だの予算だのと議論ばかりで、ちっとも話が進まない。」
An employee fed up with meetings: 'All we do is debate about the plan, the budget, and so on, and we never make any progress.'