Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Question about the word "but" in Japanese?

Question:


I found a few words for "but" in my dictionary-dakedo, demo, tada, tadashii, shikashi- but how do I use them and in what situation?

Answer:


"dakedo/desukedo" is used just as you would use "but" in English, at the end of a thought to lead into a contrasting thought. "I used to be straight, but I saw Top Gun when I was 13 and..."
"demo" is used to start off a sentence to counter a thought. "But, now that I think of it..."
"tada" means "but" in the sense of "only" or "just". "I've nothing left but the shirt on my back"
"shikashi" means "but" in the sense of "still", "however", "and yet", "nevertheless". "He's only 19 but (/and yet) he has the wiseness of an old soul"

"tadashii" - an adjective, I couldn't find any instances with the meaning "but"

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