和
- Most common in daily speech
- Neutral, friendly, conversational
- Connects nouns most naturally
- Rarely connects verbs or clauses
- Works in almost any spoken context
Examples:
- 我和你
- 苹果和香蕉
- 我和朋友去打高尔夫。
跟
- Very close to 和 in meaning
- Even more colloquial and informal
- Common in northern and everyday speech
- Often implies a sense of “together with”
Examples:
- 我跟你说
- 他跟朋友出去玩。
- 跟我来。
Note: 跟 sometimes carries a directional/relational sense (“with,” “to,” “from”), which 和 does not.
与
- Formal, written, official
- Used in contracts, academic writing, news, formal speeches
- Can connect nouns, verbs, or clauses
- Sounds stiff in conversation
Examples:
及
- Very formal, concise, written
- Means “and” in lists
- Used in documents, reports, academic writing
- Cannot connect clauses; only items in a list
- Feels more compact and bureaucratic than 与
Examples:
- 包括学生、教师及家长
- 研究范围涵盖语言学、教育学及心理学。
Side‑by‑side summary
| Word | Register | Typical use | Connects | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 和 | neutral, spoken | everyday speech | nouns | most common in conversation |
| 跟 | informal, spoken | casual speech | nouns, sometimes verbs | can mean “with,” “to,” “from” |
| 与 | formal, written | contracts, news, academic | nouns, verbs, clauses | raises tone; avoid in casual speech |
| 及 | very formal, written | lists in documents | nouns only | compact, bureaucratic tone |
Quick rule of thumb
- Talking to a friend → 和 / 跟
- Writing an essay or article → 与
- Writing a contract, report, or list → 及