The 4 “But”s of Japanese And How to Use Them (でも, しかし, けど, And けれども) : There are many ways to say “but” or “however” in Japanese, but here are the four most common. Today, we are going to learn how to use でも (demo), しかし (shikashi) , けど (kedo), and けれども (keredomo).
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
| でも | demo | But |
| しかし | shikashi | But |
| けれど | keredo | But |
| けれども | keredomo | But |
Contents
How to Use “BUT” (でも, しかし, けど, And けれども) in Japanese
When connecting two opposing statements in English, we use the words “but” or “however.” In Japanese, however, the word we use depends on the level of formality in which we are speaking or writing. It also depends on whether we’re using the word at the beginning, middle, or, yes, end of the sentence.
Demo and shikashi most commonly appear at the beginning of a sentence. Demo is used in more casual conversations, and shikashi is used in more formal speech and writing.
Kedo and keredomo most commonly appear in the middle of a sentence. They can also appear at the end of a sentence to express humbleness or to soften the blow of a statement. Kedo is used in both formal and casual situations, and keredomo is formal.
Let’s explore these words in more detail below.
でも (Demo):
Demo is the easiest “but” word to remember for beginning Japanese speakers. It’s perfectly fine to default to this word until you feel more comfortable with the language.
While it’s usually discouraged to begin a sentence with “but” in English, in Japanese it’s quite common. Here are some examples of how to use demo when saying “but.”
Kyou koen ni ikitai. Demo, ame ga futte iru.
(Today I want to go to the park. But it’s raining.)
Yakyuu wa tanishii. Demo, basketball no hou ga suki.
(Baseball is fun. But I like basketball better.)
Kimono ga kirei. Demo, ki-nikui.
(Kimonos are beautiful. But they’re difficult to put on.)
Now, let’s look at the more formal shikashi.
しかし (Shikashi):
Shikashi is used mostly for writing and formal speech. It can also be used to build suspense. The meaning is more akin to “however” in English. Let’s look at some examples.
Daitouryou wa ansatsu saremashita. Shikashi, seishin ga iki-tsuzukemasu.
(The president was assassinated. However, his spirit lives on.)
Obake no kasou o shite iru hito ga imashita. Shikashi, kare-tachi wa shiitsu o nuidara, daremo inakatta desu yo!
(There were people wearing ghost costumes. However, when they took off their sheets, there was no one underneath!)
Musume wa kare-shi to Tokyo ni hikkoshimashita. Shikashi, mada shimpai desu yo!
(My daughter moved to Tokyo with her boyfriend. However, I’m still worried!)
If you watch Japanese TV shows, you’ll often hear the voiceover narrator use shikashi to build suspense. For example, the narrator might tell the story of a kidnapping. He might say something like, “The little girl thought she was safe and sound…,” and then the screen smashes to black.
“Shikashi…”
And then we see a hand smashing through a window and unlocking a door.
The word is used in the same way for comedic effect as well. If you’re telling a funny story and want to build suspense in a humorous way, you can use shikashi, and people will laugh because of how dramatic it sounds.
けど／だけど (Kedo / Dakedo):
Once you are more comfortable combining sentences, you can start using kedo (a shortened form of keredomo). It is used in both formal and casual situations. Unlike demo and shikashi, it is less commonly used at the beginning of a sentence and more commonly used in the middle. It can also occur at the end of a sentence to add humbleness or to soften the blow of a statement/opinion.
When combining sentences in Japanese, we use a comma. However, note that the comma goes after kedo (as opposed to before “but” in English).
When attaching it to the middle of a sentence, kedo is placed at the end of the first clause. If the word at the end of the first clause is a verb (e.g. taberu [eat], nomu [drink]) or an i-adjective (omoshiroii [interesting], kawaii [cute]), kedo is left unchanged. Like so:
Kinou sushi o tabeta kedo, kyou mo tabetai!
(I ate sushi yesterday, but I want to eat it today too!)
Chikin ga oishii kedo, biifu no hou ga suki. (Chicken is delicious, but I like beef better.)
However, if the part of speech is a noun (inu [dog], neko [cat]) or na-adjective (kirei [beautiful], suki [like]), we attach da to the beginning of kedo, making it dakedo. In more formal situations, we attach desu to the beginning instead of da. Here are some examples:
Yuki ga kirei dakedo, fuyu ga kirai.
(Snow is beautiful, but I hate winter.)
Watashi ga Suki-na doubutsu wa inu desukedo, neko o katte kuremashita!
(My favorite animal is a dog, but you bought me a cat!)
When we attach kedo to the end of a sentence, it can soften the blow of something we said.
BOY: Boku no koto, suki desu ka?
(Do you like me?)
GIRL: Tomodachi toshite suki dakedo.
(I like you as a friend, but…)
BOSS: Mou ku-ji da! Mata chikoku da yo!
(It’s 9:00! You’re late again!)
WORKER: Ano tokei ni kanshite, mada hachi-ji go-juu-go fun desukedo.
(According to that clock, it’s still 8:55, but…)
NOTE: In English, we cannot end a sentence with “but.” However, in Japanese it is common to end a sentence with kedo without any further explanation.
けれども／だけれども (Keredomo / Dakeredomo):
Keredomo is used exactly the same as kedo. The only exception is that it is exceptionally formal, like the kind of speech a lawyer would use when addressing a judge or when salesmen are speaking to customers. It can also be used at the end of a sentence to add that ultra-humble punch.
Kyou koen ni ikitai keredomo, ame ga futte imasu.
(Today I want to go to the park, but it’s raining.)
Kimono ga kirei desukeredomo, kinikui desu.
(Kimonos are beautiful, but they’re difficult to put on.)
(ON THE PHONE) Moshi moshi. Watashi wa Fuji-terebi no Takahashi desukeredomo.
(Hello? I’m Takahashi from Fuji TV.)
Demo, shikashi, kedo, and keredomo are perfect words for beginners just getting their feet wet with Japanese. So get out and use them! Test them out to see if you’re using the words correctly! Was keredomo more or less formal than you thought it was? Only with experience can you fully understand how Japanese works, so get out there and practice, practice, practice!
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