“demo・kedo・ga”: Three Ways to Say ‘But' [JLPT N5]

Content by NTJ Kuma · Nihongo to Japan editorial team · Updated July 27, 2026

Three ways to say “but” — でも starts a sentence, けど is casual, が is written.

Three ways to say “but”: でも, けど, が — what's the difference?

「疲れた。でも頑張る」 (I'm tired, but I'll push on), 「高いけど買う」 (It's pricey but I'll buy it), 「努力したが、だめだった」 (I tried, but it didn't work) — all three say “but,” with a different word each time. They differ on two things: where they sit (start vs middle) and how formal they are (casual vs written). でも goes at the start, けど joins mid-sentence casually, が joins mid-sentence formally.

Three “buts”: check position ＋ formality

• でも = but (a sentence-initial connector, casual): 疲れた。でも、頑張る.
• けど (けれど／けれども) = but (mid-sentence, joining two clauses, casual): 高いけど、買う.
• が = but (mid-sentence, joining, written/formal): 努力したが、結果が出なかった.

Formality, low to high: けど ＜ けれど ＜ けれども ＜ が.

The three side by side

Examples in use

• 疲れた。でも、最後まで頑張る。(I'm tired. But I'll keep going to the end.) — でも (initial, casual)
• この映画は長いけど、面白い。(The movie's long but interesting.) — けど (mid, casual)
• 努力したが、結果が出なかった。(I worked hard, but got no result.) — が (mid, written)
• すみませんが、少しよろしいでしょうか？(Excuse me, may I have a moment?) — が (soft opener)
• 田中ですけど、社長はいらっしゃいますか？(This is Tanaka — is the president in?) — けど (opener)

⚠️ Common mistakes to avoid

① でも can't join mid-sentence. English “but” goes anywhere, but 「でも」 only starts a sentence. To join two clauses mid-sentence, use 「けど／が」 (高いけど買う, ✗ 高いでも買う).

② 「〜が／けど」 is often an opener, not a real “but.” In 「すみませんが…」 「田中ですけど…」, the が／けど just softly leads into the main point — don't force-translate it as “but.” This is very common; hearing it doesn't mean a rebuttal is coming.

🔄 Nuance & comparison: でも / けど / が / しかし

💡 The key point in use

Don't memorize four words separately — hold two axes: position (でも starts, けど／が join mid-sentence) and formality (けど most casual, が most formal). For daily chat and texting, でも and けど are all you need; for reports or clients, switch to が or しかし. And learn that soft-opener 「〜が／けど」 — it instantly makes your Japanese more polite.

❓ Questions you might have

Q: Do けど and が mean the same? Interchangeable?

Same meaning (“but”); they differ in register — けど is casual, が is written/formal. Use けど in chat, が in formal documents. けれど／けれども sit in between and are a bit polite.

Q: What's 「〜んですけど」?

A very common soft opener: 「ちょっと聞きたいんですけど…」 (I'd like to ask something…). Here けど isn't a contrast — it just softens and leads into what you're about to say.

🖊️ Practice Quiz

Q1. 「疲れた。___、頑張る。」(sentence-initial adversative, colloquial) Which is correct?

(A) が　(B) のに　(C) でも　(D) ので

Q2. 「この映画は長い___、面白いです。」(mid-sentence adversative, colloquial) Which is correct?

(A) でも　(B) けど　(C) が　(D) のに

Q3. 「努力した___、結果が出なかった。」(written, polite adversative) Which is correct?

(A) けど　(B) でも　(C) が　(D) のに

Q4. 「田中です___、少しよろしいでしょうか？」(a softening preface, polite) Which is correct?

(A) けど　(B) でも　(C) が　(D) のに

Q5. Which correctly describes the register of でも・けど・が?

(A) でも is written, が is colloquial

(B) けど is the most polite, が is colloquial

(C) が is written/polite, けど is colloquial, でも is a sentence-initial conjunction

(D) all three are identical in meaning and use

Answer Key

1. (C) でも ── the sentence-initial conjunction that turns the talk around (after 疲れた) is 「でも」. が is a mid-sentence conjunctive particle (can't start a sentence); のに needs an emotion (dissatisfaction).

2. (B) けど ── mid-sentence, colloquial adversative uses けど: 長いけど面白い.

3. (C) が ── written, polite adversative uses が: 努力したが結果が出なかった.

4. (C) が ── as a softening preface (introducing a request), 「〜が」 is used: 田中ですが、…

5. (C) ── が is written/polite, けど is colloquial, でも is a sentence-initial conjunction.