Listing Reasons in Japanese: し

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は頭あたまがいいし、面白おもしろいし、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】

あのお店みせは安やすいし、料理りょうりがおいしいし、好すきですよ。

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し、休やすみが簡単かんたんに取とれるし、新卒しんそつの中なかでその会社かいしゃは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.

Using Nouns and Na-Adjectives

As mentioned in the introduction, it is critical to remember that when using a noun or a na-adjective with this grammar, you must include the copula (だ or です) before the し.

このアパートは駅えきから近ちかいし、便利べんりだし、とてもいいですよ。

This apartment is close to the station, and it’s convenient—it’s very good.

Ending Sentences with し

し is often used at the very end of the sentence to give a belated or secondary reason for something, or to let the listener infer the final result.

和田わだ	明日あしたはピクニックに行いくの？
Wada	Are you going to the picnic tomorrow?
ロス	そうだよ。他ほかにやることないし。
Ross	Yeah. Besides, I don’t have anything else to do.

花はな	夏休なつやすみはバイトをしようと思おもっているんだけど、どう思おもう？
Hana	I was thinking about getting a job during the summer holidays. What do you think?
大地だいち	家いえでぶらぶら過すごごすよりいいんじゃない？お金かねも少すこし貯ためられるし。
Daichi	Isn’t it better than hanging around the house all day? You can also save some money.

The Frequent Pairing with も

When using し to list multiple reasons, you will frequently see the particles は and が replaced by the inclusive particle も (also/too). This adds the nuance of “Not only A, but also B,” heavily emphasizing why the final result is true.

このレストランは、値段ねだんも安やすいし、味あじもおいしいし、よく来きます。

Not only is the price cheap, but the taste is also good, so I come to this restaurant often.

今日きょうは雨あめも降ふっているし、風かぜも強つよいし、外そとに出でたくない。

It’s raining, and the wind is strong too, so I don’t want to go outside.

Using し with Polite Forms

While you will most commonly see し attached to the plain/casual forms of verbs and adjectives, it is perfectly grammatically correct to attach it directly to the polite forms (〜ます and 〜です). This is used when giving reasons in a formal or business setting.

荷物にもつも多おおいですし、タクシーで帰かえりましょう。

We have a lot of luggage, so let’s go home by taxi.

もう遅おそいですし、疲つかれましたし、今日きょうはここまでにしましょう。

It is already late, and we are tired, so let’s call it a day here.