But and however: でも and しかし

でも・しかし demo, shikashi But; however

でも (but) is the everyday word, しかし (however) is for writing and speeches. Both start a new sentence and show a contrast.

Level: JLPT N5, beginner
Type: Linking ideas
English links: conjunctions, contrast, punctuation

What it means

でも and しかし both mean "but". They come at the start of the second sentence, after a full stop. 日本語は難しいです。でも、楽しいです. Japanese is hard. But it is fun.

でも is the spoken, everyday word. しかし is stiffer. You will see it in writing, the news and the principal's speech at assembly. In daily talk with colleagues, でも is the one you want.

To join the two ideas inside one sentence, Japanese puts が after the first part: 行きたいですが、時間がありません. You will also hear けど in casual talk. Note that でも after a noun means something different, "even" or "or something": コーヒーでも飲みませんか. Watch for the position.

How to build it

Pattern	How it works
Sentence。でも、sentence。 sentence. demo, sentence.	Spoken and everyday. Starts the second sentence.
Sentence。しかし、sentence。 sentence. shikashi, sentence.	Written and formal. Reports, news, speeches.
Sentence が、sentence。 sentence ga, sentence.	Joins both ideas in one polite sentence. Casual: けど.

Examples

日本語は難しいです。でも、楽しいです。 nihongo wa muzukashii desu. demo, tanoshii desu. Japanese is hard, but it's fun.
昨日は雨でした。でも、試合はありました。 kinou wa ame deshita. demo, shiai wa arimashita. It rained yesterday, but the game still went ahead.
天ぷらは好きです。でも、たくさんは食べません。 tenpura wa suki desu. demo, takusan wa tabemasen. I like tempura, but I don't eat a lot of it.
新しいパソコンを買いました。しかし、まだ使っていません。 atarashii pasokon o kaimashita. shikashi, mada tsukatte imasen. I bought a new computer. However, I haven't used it yet.
行きたいですが、時間がありません。 ikitai desu ga, jikan ga arimasen. I'd like to go, but I don't have time.

How English says it

English "but" usually joins two ideas inside one sentence: "Japanese is hard, but it's fun." Starting a sentence with "But" is common in speech, and fine in most writing, but many teachers mark it down in school essays.

"However" is the formal one, like しかし. It needs a comma after it: "However, I haven't used it yet." "Although" is a third choice. It goes on the first idea, not the second: "Although it rained, we played."

Why it can make English hard

でも starts a new sentence in Japanese, so many students write two short sentences where English would join them with "but".
でも、 has a comma after it. Students copy that and write "But, ..." in English.
Some learners use "although" and "but" together, as if both halves of the sentence need a marker.

Mistakes you will hear

English is difficult. But, it is fun. English is difficult, but it is fun. Join the ideas with "but", and no comma after "but".
Although it rained, but we played. Although it rained, we played. (or: It rained, but we played.) Use one contrast word, not two.
However I like it. However, I like it. "However" at the start needs a comma.

In the classroom

Give students sentence halves on slips of paper: "I like natto" and "my sister hates it". Pairs join them with "but", then rewrite them with "although". They see that "although" moves.
Read a short diary aloud in Japanese style, with lots of short sentences. Students rewrite it with "but" and "and" to make it flow.
Make a "formal or friendly?" chart: but and however, しかし and でも. A quick picture shows that the two languages split the same way.

Practice

Try each one, then open it to check.

1. Fill the gap (spoken): 魚は好きです。＿＿、肉は好きではありません。 (I like fish. But I don't like meat.)

Answer: でも

でも is the everyday word for "but" at the start of a sentence.
2. Translate: 行きたいですが、時間がありません。

Answer: I'd like to go, but I don't have time.

が joins the two ideas in one sentence, like "but" in English.
3. A student writes "I studied hard. But, I failed the test." Fix it.

Answer: I studied hard, but I failed the test.

Join the two ideas with "but". No comma after "but".
4. Which word fits a school report, でも or しかし?

Answer: しかし

しかし is the formal, written word.