Basic Conjunctions in Japanese

Overview

Conjunctions are the glue that holds your Japanese sentences together. At the A1 level, you will learn a handful of essential conjunctions that let you connect ideas, express contrast, and show cause and effect. These words sit between two sentences and help your speech flow more naturally.

Unlike English conjunctions that can appear within a single sentence (such as "and" or "but"), Japanese conjunctions at this level typically connect two complete sentences. Think of them as bridges: each sentence can stand alone, but the conjunction tells the listener how the two ideas relate. Mastering these early conjunctions will immediately make your Japanese sound more connected and coherent.

How It Works

Japanese basic conjunctions appear at the beginning of the second sentence. They do not change the grammar of either sentence.

Conjunction	Reading	Meaning	Usage
そして	soshite	and then, and	Adds information or shows sequence
でも	demo	but, however	Shows contrast
だから	dakara	so, therefore	Shows cause/reason (casual)
それから	sorekara	and then, after that	Shows sequence of events
または	matawa	or	Presents alternatives (slightly formal)

Key patterns

• そして is neutral and versatile. It can add information or show time sequence.
• でも always starts a new sentence. It is the casual counterpart of しかし (shikashi).
• だから states a conclusion drawn from the previous sentence. The polite equivalent is ですから (desukara).
• それから emphasizes that one event follows another in time.
• または is used more in writing and formal speech. In casual speech, それとも (soretomo) is common for questions.

Examples in Context

Japanese	English	Note
朝ごはんを食べました。そして学校に行きました。(asagohan o tabemashita. soshite gakkou ni ikimashita.)	I ate breakfast. And then I went to school.	Sequence with そして
疲れました。でも楽しかったです。(tsukaremashita. demo tanoshikatta desu.)	I was tired. But it was fun.	Contrast with でも
雨です。だから家にいます。(ame desu. dakara ie ni imasu.)	It's raining. So I'm staying home.	Cause-result with だから
買い物をしました。それから映画を見ました。(kaimono o shimashita. sorekara eiga o mimashita.)	I went shopping. Then I watched a movie.	Time sequence with それから
コーヒーまたは紅茶をどうぞ。(koohii matawa koucha o douzo.)	Please have coffee or tea.	Alternatives with または
日本語は難しいです。でも面白いです。(nihongo wa muzukashii desu. demo omoshiroi desu.)	Japanese is difficult. But it's interesting.	Contrast with でも
宿題をしました。そして寝ました。(shukudai o shimashita. soshite nemashita.)	I did my homework. And then I went to bed.	Sequence with そして
お金がありません。だからアルバイトをします。(okane ga arimasen. dakara arubaito o shimasu.)	I don't have money. So I'll get a part-time job.	Reason with だから
掃除をしました。それから料理をしました。(souji o shimashita. sorekara ryouri o shimashita.)	I cleaned. After that, I cooked.	Sequence with それから
りんごまたはみかんを選んでください。(ringo matawa mikan o erande kudasai.)	Please choose an apple or a mandarin.	Alternatives with または

Common Mistakes

Confusing そして and それから

• Wrong: 昨日は買い物をしました。そして今日も買い物をします。 (when meaning "after that")
• Right: 昨日は買い物をしました。それから映画を見ました。 (for sequential events on the same day)
• Why: そして adds information or shows loose sequence, while それから emphasizes "after that" in a clear time sequence. When events are on different days, そして is fine.

Using だから in formal situations

• Wrong: 遅刻しました。だから、すみません。 (to a boss)
• Right: 遅刻しました。ですから、申し訳ありません。
• Why: だから is casual. In polite or formal contexts, use ですから or したがって.

Putting でも in the middle of a sentence

• Wrong: 日本語はでも難しいです。
• Right: 日本語は楽しいです。でも難しいです。
• Why: でも starts a new sentence. It does not work inside a clause like English "but" sometimes does.

Usage Notes

These conjunctions work at the sentence level. As you advance, you will learn clause-level connectors (like けど, が, and し) that join ideas within a single sentence. For now, keeping two separate sentences linked by a conjunction is perfectly natural and very common in spoken Japanese.

In casual speech, だから can also be used at the start of a conversation to mean "that's why I'm telling you" or "like I said," which can sound slightly pushy. Be mindful of tone.

Practice Tips

• Practice by writing short diary entries. Describe your day using そして and それから to chain events, でも for unexpected twists, and だから for reasons behind decisions.
• Listen for these conjunctions in beginner podcasts or textbook dialogues. Notice how speakers pause slightly before the conjunction, giving the listener time to process.
• Try converting two standalone sentences into a connected pair using each conjunction, then check whether the meaning still makes sense.

Related Concepts

• Next steps: Sentence-Final Particles — learn particles that add nuance to sentence endings