When do I use 和 vs 同?

Use 和 for everyday, neutral connections between nouns. Reserve 同 for formal, literary, or regional contexts. When in doubt, choose 和.

Can 同 be used as a preposition like 和?

Yes, 同 can mean 'with' as a preposition, but it is less common in standard spoken Mandarin. In formal writing it is acceptable (e.g., 同他合作).

Is 同 ever used in standard Mandarin?

Yes, but it is less frequent and carries a more formal or literary tone. It appears in official documents, news headlines, and southern regional Mandarin.

Easily confusedHSK 4

和 vs 同 (hé vs tóng): which 'and' to use

和 is the standard, neutral conjunction for connecting nouns in modern Mandarin, used in both speech and writing. 同 is a more formal or literary alternative, also found in certain regional dialects. For most everyday situations, learners should use 和.

Both 和 and 同 can mean 'and' when connecting nouns or noun phrases, but they differ in register and usage frequency. 和 is the default, everyday conjunction in standard Mandarin, appropriate for all contexts. 同 is more formal or literary, and also appears in some dialects (e.g., in Cantonese-influenced Mandarin). In the prepositional sense of 'with', 和 is common while 同 is less so. Neither can connect verbs or clauses — for that, use 并 (bìng) or 而 (ér).

使い分け

和hé

and

Use 和 as the standard, neutral conjunction to connect nouns or noun phrases. It is used in both spoken and written Mandarin, and also functions as a preposition meaning 'with' (e.g., 我和他一起). For most everyday situations, 和 is the correct choice.

同tóng

and/with

Use 同 as a conjunction meaning 'and' in formal, literary, or technical writing. It is also common in some regional varieties of Mandarin, especially in southern China (influenced by Cantonese). As a preposition meaning 'with', 同 is less frequent than 和 in standard speech but acceptable in writing.

In contexts where a more elevated or classical tone is desired, 同 may be preferred over 和. However, using 同 in casual conversation can sound unnatural or stiff.

ひと目で分かる

	和	同
Register	Neutral (all contexts)	Formal / literary
Regional usage	Standard nationwide	More common in southern dialects
Frequency	Very high (default choice)	Lower (marked choice)
Prepositional use ('with')	Common	Less common in standard speech

例文

和
我喜欢苹果和香蕉。
Wǒ xǐ huan píng guǒ hé xiāng jiāo.
I like apples and bananas.
Standard conjunction for everyday nouns.
同
本次会议由张先生同李女士主持。
Běn cì huì yì yóu zhāng xiān sheng tóng lǐ nǚ shì zhǔ chí.
This meeting is chaired by Mr. Zhang and Ms. Li.
同 used in a formal/announcement context.
和
我和他是同学。
Wǒ hé tā shì tóng xué.
He and I are classmates.
和 connecting pronouns in a neutral statement.
同
这本书同那本书都是图书馆的。
Zhè běn shū tóng nà běn shū dōu shì tú shū guǎn de.
This book and that book both belong to the library.
同 in a written statement; can be replaced by 和 in speech.
和
我要和你们一起讨论。
Wǒ yào hé nǐ men yì qǐ tǎo lùn.
I want to discuss with you all.
和 as a preposition meaning 'with'.

よくある間違い

Using 同 in casual speech instead of 和 — e.g., 我同他去看电影 sounds overly formal.
Assuming 同 and 和 are always interchangeable — 同 is marked and may be inappropriate in informal contexts.
Using 和 to connect verbs or clauses (e.g., '他跑和跳') — use 并 or 而 instead.
Using 同 in everyday lists where 和 is expected — e.g., 苹果同香蕉 can sound unnatural in conversation.

よくある質問

When do I use 和 vs 同?: Use 和 for everyday, neutral connections between nouns. Reserve 同 for formal, literary, or regional contexts. When in doubt, choose 和.
Can 同 be used as a preposition like 和?: Yes, 同 can mean 'with' as a preposition, but it is less common in standard spoken Mandarin. In formal writing it is acceptable (e.g., 同他合作).
Is 同 ever used in standard Mandarin?: Yes, but it is less frequent and carries a more formal or literary tone. It appears in official documents, news headlines, and southern regional Mandarin.