でも / しかし: Sentence-Initial "But" and "However" in Japanese
でも and しかし are sentence-initial "but / however" in Japanese. Each one starts a new sentence and points back at the previous one to mark a contrast.12 They do the same adversative job and differ mainly in register. For learners, the practical question is which one fits the situation: casual or formal.
This article covers the sentence-initial conjunction でも only, not the focus particle 〜でも ("even / or something") and not the ても / でも concessive ("even if / even though").
Overview
Both でも and しかし belong to the part of speech called 接続詞 (a sentence-connector, also translated "conjunction").123 A 接続詞 takes the preceding sentence and leads into the next one, showing the relationship between them. It does not conjugate.3 When the relationship is a contrast, the two most common openers a beginner meets are でも and しかし.
The split this article teaches is register, not meaning. The dictionaries gloss each word with the other: でも is defined partly as "…しかし," and しかし is defined partly as "…でも."12 They mean the same thing. They differ in how casual or formal they sound.
What "sentence-initial" means
A sentence-initial word comes after a period and opens a new sentence. でも and しかし sit in that slot: the previous sentence ends, then でも or しかし begins the next one and marks a reversal.12
This is what 接続詞 (sentence-connector) means. The category is defined as an independent word that does not conjugate. It takes a preceding word, phrase, or sentence and links it to a following one to show the relationship between them.3 でも and しかし both carry this 接続詞 label in the dictionary.12
A different category sits inside a single sentence: the 接続助詞 (clause-linking particle). A 接続助詞 attaches to a conjugating word and links it to a following clause within the same sentence.4 The familiar clause-internal "but," けど / けれど(も), is a 接続助詞 of this kind.4
Position, not spelling, tells you which job a word is doing. けれど(も) is listed both as a clause-linking 接続助詞4 and, separately, as a sentence-opening 接続詞.5 The string ても (でも) appears in the 接続助詞 list too.4 When you see one of these words, check where it sits in the sentence before deciding what it means.
でも and しかし at a glance
でも reads as casual and conversational. It is the everyday spoken "but," widely used in speech and less suited to formal writing.6
しかし reads as formal and stiff. Teaching sources describe it as the most formal of these connectives, at home in newspapers, textbooks, essays, and formal speeches.7
| Connective | Slot | Register read |
|---|---|---|
| でも | Opens a new sentence | Casual, conversational6 |
| しかし | Opens a new sentence | Formal, written or formal speech7 |
The dictionaries gloss both でも and しかし neutrally as 逆接 (adversative) and do not stamp either bare word as "casual" or "formal."12 The casual-versus-formal ranking is the settled teaching convention. It is supported by pedagogy sources76 and by the labels the dictionary gives to their neighbors: だけど is marked くだけた, "colloquial";8 しかしながら is marked やや改まった, "somewhat formal."9 Treat the ladder as consensus guidance, not a dictionary-stamped fact.
Which でも is this? (scope boundary)
The でも in this article is the 接続詞 "but" that opens a sentence. The same spelling でも names two other, unrelated grammar points. 『デジタル大辞泉』 records all three under separate part-of-speech labels in a single entry.1 The way to tell them apart is position.
- This article: 接続詞 でも "but," sentence-initial. It opens a new sentence and reverses the previous one.1
- Not the concessive でも "even if," after a て-form. This is the voiced form of ても and means "even if / even though." It attaches to a verb, as in 死んでも or いくら呼んでも.1 It is taught in the ～ても "even if / even though" material, not here.
- Not the focus particle でも "even / or something," after a noun. This is the でさえ / なんでも use, as in 子供でもできる ("even a child can do it").1 It is taught with the question word + ても / でも "whatever / anything" material.
The quick rule: sentence-start plus "but" is the 接続詞 in this article. でも after a て-form is "even if." でも after a noun is "even / or something."1
Form and placement
でも: placement and the comma
でも opens a new sentence and points back at the one before it. The dictionary's own example shows the period-then-でも shape.
がんばった。でも負けた。1
"I gave it my all. But I lost."
A comma after でも is common, especially in longer sentences.
試験に落ちました。でも、勉強はしたんですよ。1
"I failed the exam. But I did study, you know."
でも cannot be glued onto the end of a clause the way けど can. でも is a 接続詞, an independent word that sits between sentences.3 The attaching "but" けど / けれど(も) is a 接続助詞 that suffixes onto a conjugating word.4 So 忙しいけど works (けど attaches), but でも has no clause-attaching slot. The error this leads to is covered under Good to know.
しかし: placement and register cues
しかし takes the same opening slot as でも: it stands at the head of a sentence and marks what follows as contrary to what came before.2 In modern use it is usually followed by a comma.
日本語の勉強は楽しい。しかし、漢字は難しい。7
"Studying Japanese is fun. However, kanji are difficult."
かっこいい靴を見つけました。しかし、高いです。7
"I found some cool shoes. However, they're expensive."
しかし has a heavier formal extension, しかしながら, which the dictionary defines as a somewhat more formal way of saying しかし.9 On the formal ladder, しかし comes before しかしながら. しかしながら is worth recognizing but rarely needed at this level.
The register ladder: けど → でも → しかし
The core contrast of this topic is one job done from two positions and at two registers. The adversative "but" can sit inside a sentence as a particle or open a sentence as a conjunction. It can also sound casual or formal.
On the casual end, clause-internal けど and sentence-initial でも line up. けど / けれど(も) is a 接続助詞 that attaches inside a sentence.4 でも is a 接続詞 that opens one.1 Both express plain-style contrast and both read as casual.
On the formal end sits しかし.2 Its clause-internal formal counterparts are が and けれども. けれども is double-classed and also has a 接続詞 entry glossed "だが。しかし."5 Between the extremes sits だけど, which the dictionary marks as a colloquial way of saying だけれど.8
The diagram shows the two axes at once: read each pair by position (clause-internal versus sentence-initial), and follow the arrows for register (casual to formal). Pick the position you need, then pick the register that fits the situation. The exact rung-by-rung ordering is teaching convention, not a dictionary ranking, so hold it loosely.1234
Nuance and usage contexts
でも in conversation
でも is the everyday spoken contrast. It is common at the start of a reply, where it registers mild disagreement or pushback before the speaker states a different view.
でも、私、まだ日本語が下手だから…。6
"But, my Japanese is still poor, so…"
The dictionary separates a second sense of でも used to offer an excuse or rebuttal, as in 試験に落ちました。でも、勉強はしたんですよ.1 Learners do not need to split the two senses. It is enough to notice the "pushback or excuse" flavor that a reply opening with でも often carries.
しかし in writing and formal speech
しかし signals a serious or logical reversal and is at home in news, essays, and presentations.7 The dictionary frames it neutrally as 逆接, a contrary relationship.2 The teaching sources consulted place it firmly on the formal end of the scale.76
日本料理は好きです。しかし、納豆だけは食べられません。7
"I like Japanese food. However, natto is the one thing I can't eat."
Mixing registers and what sounds off
Using しかし in a casual chat sounds stilted, because しかし is the stiff, formal connective.7 In friendly conversation, reach for でも instead.
Using でも in an academic essay or report sounds too light, because でも is less appropriate in formal writing.6 Formal written contrast uses しかし, or the clause-internal が / けれども.25
This maps onto the broader polite-versus-plain (丁寧体・普通体) register sense. The dictionaries support the same direction through the labels they give the neighbors of this pair, even though they do not label でも and しかし themselves: だけど is colloquial8 and しかしながら is somewhat formal.9
Good to know
でも is not the only でも
Three different grammar points share the spelling でも, and position tells them apart. At the start of a sentence with the meaning "but," it is the 接続詞 in this article.1 Attached to a noun, でも means "even / or something" (the focus particle).1 After a て-form, でも means "even if" (the concessive).1 When you meet でも, look at what comes before it before deciding which one it is.
でも cannot end-attach the way けど can
The most common beginner error is trying to attach でも to the end of a clause, the way けど attaches. A learner who wants to say "I'm busy, but I'll go" may produce 忙しいでも、行きます, which is ungrammatical. でも is a 接続詞 that opens a new sentence and has no clause-attaching slot. けど is a 接続助詞 that suffixes onto a clause.134
There are two correct repairs. Keep the attaching particle and use けど, or end the sentence and open the next one with でも.
忙しいけど、行きます。4
"I'm busy, but I'll go."
だけど and ですが as the in-between
Between the casual でも and the formal しかし sit a few middle options. だけど is the casual contracted form, marked colloquial in the dictionary, a shortening of だけれど.8 ですが is its polite neighbor. These are worth recognizing, but the casual-to-formal axis they fill is the same one covered by the けど material. Treat them as the hinge between the two ends rather than a separate lesson.58
The "news-anchor" test for しかし
If a sentence would sound natural read aloud on a news broadcast or printed in an essay, しかし fits. If it is the kind of thing you would say to a friend, use でも instead. This leans on the attested home of しかし in newspapers, essays, and formal speech.7 The framing is a memory aid, not a formal rule.
でも is literally "even (with) that"
The 接続詞 でも derives from それでも, an abbreviation meaning "even so / even with that."1 That origin explains why a sentence opened with でも reads as "(granting your point,) even so, …." It also links the conjunction back to それ + でも, which is why the word carries its concessive, pushing-back flavor.
See also
- けど / けれど / けれども: The Soft Contrastive "But" in Japanese
- ところが / ところで: "However" and "By the Way" in Japanese (Discourse Pivots)
- Japanese Conjunctions Overview: Clause-Linkers (接続助詞) vs. Sentence-Connectors (接続詞)
- ～ても: How to Say "Even If" and "Even Though" in Japanese
- Question Word + ても / でも in Japanese: Whatever, Whoever, Wherever
- Polite vs. Plain Japanese: です/ます vs. だ (丁寧体・普通体)