でも
Meaning in Englishbut, however
Related sentences
Word context
What it means
What does でも mean? It means 'but' or 'however', and functions as a conjunction to connect two clauses by signaling a contrast or a concession; it is most commonly attached to nouns or na-adjectives in casual and formal speech.
Main meanings
- Contrasting conjunction indicating 'but' or 'however' between clauses.
- Concessive usage meaning 'even so' or 'nevertheless' to acknowledge a previous point.
- Indefinite/quantifier usage when attached to interrogatives or pronouns to form words meaning 'anything' or 'anyone' (e.g., 何でも, 誰でも).
- Determinative extension meaning 'even' a noun phrase to highlight an inclusivity or contrast (XでもY).
How to use it
Used after nouns, noun phrases, and na-adjectives to connect clauses, signaling a shift or concession. In formal writing it can appear after phrases ending with だ in its predicative form, while with verbs the common contrastive form is ても, not でも.
Variants and close terms
- but/however — keredomo (Romaji: keredomo)
- however (more formal) — shikashi (Romaji: shikashi)
- nevertheless, even so — soredemo (Romaji: soredemo)
- anything/everyone (bound with compounds) — nan demo, dare demo (Romaji: nan demo, dare demo)
Etymology
で the continuative form of the copula, も the particle 'also/even'; together they function as a conjunctive unit expressing contrast and concession.
Origin
From classical Japanese usage of the te-form of the copula だ (で) combined with the particle も, a pattern that matured into the modern conjunction でも; attested in early modern and classical texts as a way to link contrasting ideas.
Word class
conjunction (接続詞)