Kedo is a Japanese particle working at three different positions

What is “kedo” in Japanese?

“Kedo” is one of the most commonly-used Japanese particles. It can work at three different positions: at the beginning of a sentence; between two sentences; at the end of a sentence. In this blog post, I will explain these three usages in detail with example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand “kedo” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Kedo at the beginning of a sentence
  • Example #1: how to start a sentence with “kedo”
• Kedo between two sentences
  • Example #2: how to join two sentences with “kedo”
• Kedo at the end of a sentence
  • Example #3: how to end a sentence with “kedo”
• Summary: kedo in Japanese

Kedo at the beginning of a sentence

Let me start with the definition and meaning of “kedo” which works at the beginning of a sentence.

• kedo – けど : a conjunctive particle used at the beginning of a sentence to say something different from or opposite to what has just been stated.

This type of “kedo” is often translated into English as “but”. And actually, their roles are very similar. When we want to say something different from or opposite to what someone has just said, we can start a new sentence with “kedo”. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

Example #1: how to start a sentence with “kedo”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• ame – 雨 (あめ) : a noun meaning ‘rain’ in Japanese.
• ga – が : a case particle used to make the subject word or the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “ame” to make the subject in the sentence.
• fut – 降っ (ふっ) : one conjugation of the verb, “furu”, which means ‘to fall’ in Japanese. It has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• te – て : a conjunctive particle used after a verb or adjective to make its te form. In the example, this is used after “fut” to make its te form, “fut te”. Verbs need to be changed to their te forms to be connected with “iru”.
• iru – いる : an auxiliary verb used to express the continuity of the action described by its preceding verb. In the example, this is used after “fut te” to express the continuity of its action.
• boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “boku” to make the subject in the second sentence.
• umi – 海 (うみ) : a noun meaning ‘sea’ in Japanese.
• ni – に : a case particle used to say where someone or something goes. In the example, this is used after “umi” to say where the speaker wants to go.
• iki – 行き (いき) : one conjugation of the verb, “iku“, which means ‘to go’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• tai – たい : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make its desire form. In the example, this is used after “iki” to make its desire form, “iki tai”, which means ‘to want to go’.

This is a typical usage of this type of “kedo”. In this example, it works at the beginning of the second sentence to say something unlikely to happen under the condition stated by the first sentence. Like this example, we can use “kedo” at the beginning of a sentence to say something different from or opposite to what someone – including the speaker – has just said.

Kedo between two sentences

Next, let me explain the definition and meaning of “kedo” which works between two sentences.

• kedo – けど : a conjunctive particle used to join two sentences which have different or opposite meanings.

This is very similar to the last one. This type, however, works at the end of a sentence and connects it to another one. Let me explain how this particle works through the example sentence below.

Example #2: how to join two sentences with “kedo”

This is a typical usage of this type of “kedo”. It works at the end of the first sentence and connects it to the second one. When we want to say two different or opposite things at one breath, this “kedo” is very useful. Conversely, when we want to have a pause between two sentences, the last “kedo” is more effective.

The word preceding this type of “kedo” needs to be in its plain form, in other words, cannot be conjugated. “Iru” is the plain form of this auxiliary verb, so can be connected with “kedo” without any process.

Kedo at the end of a sentence

Lastly, let me explain the definition and meaning of “kedo” which works at the end of a sentence.

• kedo – けど : a sentence-ending particle used to express dissatisfaction, to wish something unlikely to happen, or to make a euphemism.

As the definition suggests, this type of “kedo” needs to be at the end of a sentence. So, its usage is very similar to that of the last one. In fact, this “kedo” was derived from the last one. We can get this sentence-ending particle by omitting the second sentence in the last example. Let me explain this in detail through the example sentence below.

Example #3: how to end a sentence with “kedo”

This is a typical usage of this type of “kedo”. Again, but this “kedo” was derived from the last one which works to join two different or opposite sentences. When we see a sentence ending with this “kedo”, therefore, we can guess that the speaker has wanted to say something different from or opposite to what the sentence stated. This is why this “kedo” can work to express dissatisfaction, to wish something unlikely to happen, or to make a euphemistic expression.

Summary: kedo in Japanese

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definitions, meanings, and usages of “kedo” in detail with the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• kedo – けど : a conjunctive particle used at the beginning of a sentence to say something different from or opposite to what has just been stated. This is often translated into English as “but”.
• kedo – けど : a conjunctive particle used to join two sentences which have different or opposite meanings. This is similar to the first one, but when we want to say two different or opposite things at one breath, this “kedo” is very useful.
• kedo – けど : a sentence-ending particle used to express dissatisfaction, to wish something unlikely to happen, or to make a euphemism.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.