Japanese Conjunctions: でも, しかし, そして, それに, ところが
Japanese conjunctions connect sentences and express logical relationships. Each has a distinct formality level and nuance — でも (casual but) differs from しかし (formal however), and ところが (unexpected however) differs from でも in the type of contrast it signals.
でも — but / however (casual)
でも at the start of a sentence means "but" or "however" in casual and neutral speech. It is the most versatile and common conjunction for contrast. でも can also appear as a sentence-final particle (softening) or in compounds (でも〜でも = whether...or...).
しかし / けれど(も) — however (formal/written)
しかし is the formal written equivalent of でも. It appears in essays, news, and formal speech. けれど(も) and けど are clause-internal conjunctions meaning "although/but" — they follow within a sentence rather than starting a new one.
そして / それから — and then / and also
そして connects events in sequence or adds related information: "and then / and also". それから is more explicitly sequential: "after that / and then (in order)". そして can connect clauses or sentences; それから is more time-sequential.
ところが — however (unexpected result)
ところが introduces a result that is contrary to expectation — stronger than でも/しかし. Use it when the outcome is a surprise or disappointment relative to the first clause. It always starts a new sentence.
だから / ので / それで — therefore / so
だから starts a new sentence and means "therefore / that's why" (casual). それで is similar but more narrative ("and so / and that's how"). In formal contexts, 〜ので or したがって is preferred.
それに / また / さらに — in addition / moreover
それに adds a further point in the same direction: "moreover / on top of that". また means "also / again". さらに is more formal: "furthermore / what's more".
Common mistakes
Starting a sentence with だから in formal writing
RightUse したがって (therefore) or そのため in formal/business writing
だから is casual. In academic papers, business emails, or formal reports: したがって (formal therefore) or そのため (for that reason) are standard. でも → しかしながら, だから → したがって in formal register.
Using ところが for simple contrast (like でも)
RightReserve ところが for genuinely unexpected, surprising contrast
ところが signals a turn that defies expectation. Using it for ordinary contrast makes the writing dramatic or odd. 「疲れた。ところが、映画を見た。」— watching a movie after being tired is not surprising enough for ところが.
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What is the difference between でも and しかし?
Both mean "but/however" but differ in register. でも is casual and common in everyday speech. しかし is formal and appears in essays, news articles, and formal speeches. In business writing: use しかし or しかしながら. In conversation: でも or けど are natural. けれど(も) is mid-range — more polite than でも but less stiff than しかし.
How is ところが different from でも?
ところが specifically signals that the result was contrary to expectation — a genuine surprise. でも is neutral contrast ("X, but Y"). ところが is "I expected X, but unexpectedly Y happened instead". It is used when the outcome is surprising or disappointing relative to what was anticipated.
Can I use だから in the middle of a sentence?
だから typically starts a new sentence. For mid-sentence causation, use から or ので as clause connectors: 「疲れたから、早く寝た」(I was tired, so I went to bed early). Starting a new sentence: 「疲れた。だから、早く寝た。」Both are correct — sentence-initial だから is more emphatic.