しかし means exactly what でも means — "but / however," a sentence-initial turn against what came before. The difference is not logic; it is register. しかし belongs to the written word and to careful, prepared speech: essays, newspaper articles, reports, lectures, formal announcements. It marks a deliberate, weighty pivot in an argument, the kind you make on paper after thinking. If でも is the mouth's "but," しかし is the pen's. Learn it as the formal twin of でも, and learn when it fits — because dropping it into casual chat makes you sound like you're delivering a lecture.
The formal "however"
Structurally, しかし works just like でも: full stop, しかし at the head of the new sentence, comma after. What changes is the tone — everything around it leans formal. しかし signals "here comes a considered contrast," and it pairs naturally with plain/だ or the stiff である style of written prose.
実験は失敗した。しかし、多くを学んだ。
jikken wa shippai shita. shikashi, ōku o mananda
The experiment failed. However, we learned a great deal.
彼の理論は美しい。しかし、現実には合わない。
kare no riron wa utsukushii. shikashi, genjitsu ni wa awanai
His theory is elegant. However, it does not match reality.
The contrast here is genuine and reasoned — a failed experiment versus real learning, an elegant theory versus stubborn facts. しかし frames it as the turn in an argument, not an offhand "but."
しかし in academic and reasoned prose
In writing that argues a point, しかし is the standard pivot from "the expected/first view" to "the qualification or counter-fact." It's the connector that introduces the however every careful argument needs.
予想は正しかった。しかし、いくつかの例外もある。
yosō wa tadashikatta. shikashi, ikutsuka no reigai mo aru
The prediction was correct. However, there are some exceptions.
この方法は効率的である。しかし、コストが高いという問題がある。
kono hōhō wa kōritsuteki de aru. shikashi, kosuto ga takai to iu mondai ga aru
This method is efficient. However, it has the problem of high cost.
Note how comfortably しかし sits beside the である copula in the second example — that pairing is a hallmark of academic Japanese. In this register, しかし keeps company with the other written connectors: また ("also / furthermore"), さらに ("moreover"), したがって ("therefore"). Choosing しかし tells the reader the whole text is operating at that formal level.
しかし as a news-style pivot
Journalism runs on the "good news, however, caveat" structure, and しかし is its hinge. It pivots from a headline development to the qualification the reader needs.
景気は回復した。しかし、課題は残る。
keiki wa kaifuku shita. shikashi, kadai wa nokoru
The economy has recovered. However, challenges remain.
政府は対策を発表した。しかし、効果を疑問視する声も多い。
seifu wa taisaku o happyō shita. shikashi, kōka o gimonshi suru koe mo ōi
The government announced measures. However, many voices question their effectiveness.
This clipped, contrastive rhythm — a short assertion, しかし, the qualifying counter — is the signature cadence of news writing and editorials.
しかしながら: the emphatic, extra-formal "however"
For an even more formal, weightier "however," lengthen しかし to しかしながら. It reads as more deliberate and elevated — at home in formal speeches, official statements, and literary or academic prose — and often introduces a considered concession ("we tried, and yet…").
全力を尽くした。しかしながら、及ばなかった。
zenryoku o tsukushita. shikashinagara, oyobanakatta
We gave it our all. However, we fell short.
ご意見は理解いたします。しかしながら、方針を変えることはできません。
goiken wa rikai itashimasu. shikashinagara, hōshin o kaeru koto wa dekimasen
We understand your view. However, we cannot change our policy.
しかしながら (formal / literary) is a register step above しかし — reserve it for genuinely formal contexts. In ordinary writing, plain しかし is the workhorse; しかしながら can sound overwrought if overused.
"Written" really means "formal" — including formal speech
It's tempting to file しかし as written-only, but that's slightly off. The honest label is formal, and formal register includes prepared or dignified speech, not just text on a page. You will hear しかし from a news anchor, a company president at a ceremony, a professor lecturing, or a politician at a podium — all speaking, none writing. What rules しかし out is not speech as such, but casualness: the relaxed, back-and-forth register of ordinary conversation.
本日はお集まりいただき、感謝申し上げます。しかし、課題は山積しております。
honjitsu wa oatsumari itadaki, kansha mōshiagemasu. shikashi, kadai wa sanseki shite orimasu
Thank you all for gathering today. However, the challenges are piled high.
努力は認めます。しかし、結果がすべてです。
doryoku wa mitomemasu. shikashi, kekka ga subete desu
I acknowledge the effort. However, results are everything.
So the test isn't "am I writing or speaking?" but "is this formal or casual?" A wedding speech, a keynote, a job interview, a written report — all take しかし. A chat over coffee takes でも. That single formal-vs-casual axis, not the medium, is what decides.
Where しかし sits among the "but" words
Japanese slices "but" by two axes at once: slot (does it open a new sentence, or end a clause?) and register (formal/written vs casual/spoken). しかし is the sentence-initial, formal corner.
| "But" | Slot | Register |
|---|---|---|
| しかし | sentence-initial | formal / written |
| だが | sentence-initial | written / literary (harder, more clipped) |
| でも | sentence-initial | casual / spoken |
| が | clause-final | formal / written-spoken |
| けど / けれど | clause-final | casual / spoken |
A quick note on だが: it's another sentence-initial, written "but," but harder and more clipped than しかし — common in fiction, opinion columns, and a somewhat blunt or masculine narrative voice (努力した。だが、勝てなかった). It's a stylistic sibling, not a beginner's default; しかし is the safe formal choice. For the clause-final formal "but," see が, which does the same formal-register work while clinging to the end of a clause rather than opening a sentence.
Common mistakes
Mistake 1 — Using しかし in casual conversation. Among friends, しかし sounds stiff, stagey, even lecturing — like saying "However!" out loud in a chat. Use でも or the clause-final けど.
❌（友達との会話で）行きたい。しかし、お金がない。
Stiff — しかし is written/formal register. With friends: 行きたい。でも、お金がない (or 行きたいけど、お金がない).
✅ 行きたい。でも、お金がない。
ikitai. demo, okane ga nai
I want to go. But I have no money.
Mistake 2 — Ending a clause with しかし like a clause-final "but." しかし is strictly sentence-initial; it can't hang off the back of a clause the way が or けど do.
❌ 安いしかし、まずい。
Wrong slot — しかし opens a new sentence; it can't cling to a clause. Clause-final formal 'but' is が: 安いが、まずい. Or split: 安い。しかし、まずい。
✅ 安い。しかし、まずい。
yasui. shikashi, mazui
It's cheap. However, it tastes bad.
Mistake 3 — Mixing registers within one text. Don't open one sentence with casual でも and the next with formal しかし; pick a register and hold it. A report should be しかし throughout; a chat, でも throughout.
❌ 予想は正しかった。でも、例外もある。しかし、対策が必要だ。
Register clash — でも (casual) and しかし (formal) in the same formal passage. Keep it consistent: use しかし throughout for a report.
✅ 予想は正しかった。しかし、例外もある。したがって、対策が必要だ。
yosō wa tadashikatta. shikashi, reigai mo aru. shitagatte, taisaku ga hitsuyō da
The prediction was correct. However, there are exceptions. Therefore, measures are needed.
Mistake 4 — Overusing しかしながら. It's a heavy word; one per passage is plenty. Stacking しかしながら repeatedly reads as pompous.
✅ 課題は多い。しかし、前進はしている。しかしながら、油断は禁物だ。
kadai wa ōi. shikashi, zenshin wa shite iru. shikashinagara, yudan wa kinmotsu da
There are many challenges. However, we are making progress. Nevertheless, we must not let our guard down.
Key takeaways
- しかし is the formal, written "however / but," standing at the head of a new sentence — the connector of essays, news, reports, and speeches.
- It is logically identical to casual でも; you choose between them by register, not meaning. Formal/written → しかし; casual/spoken → でも.
- It marks a deliberate, reasoned turn in an argument and clusters with other written connectors — また, さらに, したがって — pairing naturally with である prose.
- しかしながら is the emphatic, extra-formal upgrade (formal/literary); use it sparingly.
- Keep your register consistent: a formal text stays with しかし; don't sprinkle it into casual chat, where it sounds like a lecture.
Now practice Japanese
Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.
Start learning Japanese→Related Topics
- でも: But / However (Casual)N5 — でも — the everyday spoken 'but,' the conjunction that opens a new sentence to contradict, qualify, or push back on the one before it; the mouth's 'but' to しかし's pen, and a different word entirely from the noun-hugging particle でも ('even').
- が: Soft Contrast and PrefaceN4 — The clause-connecting が — a different beast from the subject particle — is a far gentler 'but' than English, and just as often a neutral preface that eases into the main point with no opposition at all; it's the written/formal-spoken twin of casual けど.
- である体: The Formal Written RegisterN2 — である体 — the impersonal register of papers, editorials, and reports — is highly formal yet non-polite: an essay becomes more formal by REMOVING です・ます, because formality and politeness are different axes, the opposite of the intuition English speakers bring.