Grammar Info

N5 Lesson 5: 5/12

けど

But, However

More casual than が

Structure Legend

Structure

Verb + けど
[い]Adjective + けど
[な]Adjective + + けど
Noun + + けど

Details

  • Part of Speech

    Particle

  • Word Type

    Conjunctive Particle

  • Register

    Standard

  • 品詞

    助詞

  • 単語の種類

    接続助詞

  • 使用域

    一般

About けど・だけど

けど is one of the common conjunction particles in Japanese. These are particles that function by connecting the (A) and (B) parts of a sentence. けど works very similarly to , in that it highlights 'while thinking about (A), (B)'. This means that けど will often come across as 'but' in English.
  • 毎日(まいにち)(およ)けど今日(きょう)(およ)がない
    I swim everyday, but I will not swim today.
  • 北海道(ほっかいどう)(さむ)けど綺麗(きれい)
    Hokkaido is cold, but pretty.
  • 田舎(いなか)(しず)だけど不便(ふべん)
    The countryside is quiet, but inconvenient.
  • これステーキだけど(つめ)
    This is a steak, but it is cold.
As can be seen from these examples, just like many other grammatical constructions, will be required when using けど after a な-Adjective, or a noun.
けど is just a modern (casual) version of けれども. Please see below for a list of the most casual, to the most formal variations.
Casual - けど - けども - けれど - けれども - - Formal
  • (わたし)(にく)()けども野菜(やさい)()
    I eat meat, but I also like vegetables.
  • (わたし)(みず)(こわ)けれど(およ)のが()です
    I am afraid of the water, but I like to swim.
  • (さけ)()けれども、ワイン()まないです
    I drink alcoholic beverages, but I don't drink wine.
  • 沖縄(おきなわ)綺麗(きれい)です(あつ)です
    Okinawa is beautiful, but hot.
Caution
The phrase after けど will often be omitted if it is obvious, or the speaker does not want to say it.
  • パソコンないけど。(大丈夫(だいじょうぶ)?)
    I don't have a computer… (but is that okay?)

Examples

  • 便利(べんり)けど(たか)

    It is convenient, but expensive.

  • その(あか)Tシャツ()けど(あお)Tシャツ()

    I like that red T-shirt, but I will buy the blue one.

  • 毎日(まいにち)シャワー()びるけど今日(きょう)()ない

    I take a shower every day, but today I will not.

  • (わたし)トムけど・・・

    I am Tom... (but do you need something?)

  • (かね)があるけど()いません

    I have money, but I won't buy (it).

  • Get more example sentences!

    Premium users get access to 12 example sentences on all Grammar Points.

Self-Study Sentences

Study your own way!

Add sentences and study them alongside Bunpro sentences.

けど・だけど – Grammar Discussion

Most Recent Replies (29 in total)

  • Fabi02

    Fabi02

    About 2 years ago

    So the dialogue in question comes from the beginning of the Manga “聲の形”, where 2 people (a boy and a girl) meet each other. When the girl recognizes the boy, she runs away, the boy follows her and screams “小6ン時の石田だけど”.

    Spoiler

    It is later revealed that the boy used to bully the girl heavily 6 years prior

  • Marcus

    Marcus

    About 1 year ago

    I’ve just bumped into this very same problem!

    Do you need to add a だ before けど after all て-form verbs, or just 初めて?
    Or is only 初めて possible here?
    Are all て-form verbs considered to be nouns?
    Is this worth mentioning in the grammar explanation?
    Sorry, so many questions! Hope someone can help! Thank you!

  • CowsAreBeautiful

    CowsAreBeautiful

    About 3 months ago

    I also encountered some instances in which けど with the meaning of “but” doesn’t quite suit.
    In this video the other uses of けど made much more sense. けど Is Not Always But

    Quick Summary:
    けど as a particle marks the situation (A) and transferring to the main point of the sentence (B).

    Example:
    皆さん、明日田中さんの誕生日会があるんです(A)けど、行きますか(B)?
    → The situation is that tomorrow is Tanakas birthday (Situation)[けど], do you want to go there (Main Point).

    Effect: Before make a decision, here is the situation we are talking about.

    Another Example:
    さっき田中さんにメロンもらったんだけど、食べる?
    → Tanaka gave me a melon just now (A → Situation)[けど], do you want to eat it? (B → Main Point)

    I think that also this concept applies pretty well to the translation of “but” and helped me a lot understanding these occurrences in the examples above or if someone picks up the pho...

Got questions about けど・だけど? Join us to discuss, ask, and learn together!

Join the Discussion