やら is an adverbial particle in Japanese which expresses lack of determination or limitation in regard to (A). Due to this, it is very similar to other structures like など, and will often translate as ‘(A) and so on’, or ‘(A) and the like’.
やら may appear following verbs in their dictionary form, nouns, い-Adjectives, or な-Adjectives. When repeated as (A)
やら (B)
やら, both (A) and (B) will often be the same type of word, although this is not a limitation when the speaker is expressing various feelings in relation to something.
-
毎日(まいにち)子供(こども)の世話(せわ)をするやら家事(かじ)をするやらで忙(いそが)しいです。
I am busy everyday with things such as taking care of my child and doing house chores.
先週(せんしゅう)は身体中(からだじゅう)が痛(いた)いやら、体調(たいちょう)が悪(わる)いやらで大変(たいへん)でした。
Last week I had a tough week because my whole body was aching, wasn’t feeling well and so on.
あのニュースを聞(き)いてから不安(ふあん)やら怒(いか)りやら、色々(いろいろ)な感情(かんじょう)が溢(あふ)れ出(で)てきた。
After hearing that news, I was flooded with feelings such as anxiety, anger, and many other emotions.
文法(ぶんぽう)だけではなく漢字(かんじ)やら単語(たんご)やらも勉強(べんきょう)した方(ほう)がいい。
You should study not only grammar but also things such as kanji and vocabulary.
Compared to
とか,
やら puts more emphasis on the scope of things within the category of (A) and (B), thus making it sound like (A) and (B) are only a small fraction of many different things within a complex pool of various emotions, actions, etc.
Caution - When appearing as
のやら~のやら, this emphasizes that the speaker does not actually know which one out of (A) and (B) is the correct option, and is just presenting both as potential possibilities. Due to this, (A) and (B) will often be antonyms or opposites of some sort in these types of sentences, but not always.
-
彼女(かのじょ)は大学(だいがく)に行(い)くのやら行(い)かないのやらはっきりしない。
It is not clear whether she is going to college or not.
あの歌手(かしゅ)は上手(じょうず)なのやら下手(へた)なのやら、私(わたし)にはさっぱりわかりません。
I have no idea if that person is a good singer or not.