Sentence-opening connector used to introduce contrast, objection, or a related additional point. It is common in speech and everyday writing, and is generally less formal than しかし.
行きたかった。でも、時間がなかった。
I wanted to go. But I didn't have time.
However, there is one more problem.
Particle after a noun or noun-like phrase, highlighting something as an extreme, surprising, or minimum example: 'even X'.
Even a child can solve this problem.
even if; even though; no matter how
Concessive particle use, especially after nouns and na-adjective stems, meaning that the following statement holds despite that condition. In patterns such as どんなに下手でも, it means 'no matter how ...'.
Even though it is inconvenient, I like this town.
No matter how bad you are, you will improve if you keep going.
or something; or the like
Softens a suggestion or example after a noun, often implying that the named item is only one possible choice.
Let's go see a movie or something this weekend.
Would you like some tea or something?
either ... or ...; neither ... nor ...
Used in the repeated pattern XでもYでも. In affirmative contexts it means 'either X or Y'; with negative expressions such as ない, it can mean 'neither X nor Y'.
You can go by either train or bus.
This is neither a dream nor a joke.
Rare derogatory prefix-like use before an occupation or role, implying that the person is only nominally in that role or is incompetent. This is limited and not a general-purpose prefix.
でも医者 is a disparaging expression meaning someone is a doctor in name only.
for lack of anything better to do
Rare derogatory prefix-like use before an occupation, associated with でもしか, implying that someone chose that job only because there was nothing better available.
See also: でもしか
The でも in でもしか先生 is connected with the sarcastic idea of becoming a teacher for lack of anything better to do.
It's an easy problem that even a child can do.
No matter how bad you are, you'll get better if you practice.
Would you like some tea or something?
Either tea or coffee is fine.
I was tired. But I kept going until the end.
だけど is an equally casual alternative to でも for 'but', often felt as slightly more colloquial or blunt.
とか also softens a suggestion like でも, but とか more often lists or quotes multiple example items rather than a single loose one.
でも is the neutral, all-register word for 'but', while だって sense of 'but' carries a colloquial, argumentative tone.
でも is a general, everyday word for 'but/however' usable in most contexts, while なのに carries a stronger emotional sense of 'despite that' and often implies surprise or disappointment.
でも is the casual, everyday equivalent of だが, which is somewhat more formal and appears more often in writing.
でも starts a new sentence to mean 'but/however', whereas けど joins within or at the end of a sentence to soften or contrast a statement.
でも is a casual, conversational 'but', whereas ところが is slightly more formal and stresses a surprising turn of events.
でも typically starts a new sentence to mean 'but/however', while けれども joins two clauses within a single sentence.
でも is a plain contrastive conjunction meaning 'but', while と言っても specifically re-evaluates or limits the strength of what was just said.
でも is a casual sentence-initial 'but', while だけども typically joins two clauses within a single sentence.
でも is a casual sentence-initial 'but' used in speech, while だけれども is more formal and typically connects clauses mid-sentence.
でも attaches to nouns and na-adjective stems for the concessive meaning, while ても attaches to the te-form of verbs and i-adjectives, as in 高くても.
でも is a conjunction/particle meaning 'but' or, after a noun, 'even', while も is the plain additive particle that attaches directly to nouns or the te-form (〜ても) to mean 'also' or 'even if'.
でも can also mean 'even' in certain fixed phrases, but it usually means 'but' or 'even if', unlike でさえ which always emphasizes an extreme example.
デモ (demonstration/demo) and でも (the particle meaning 'but' or 'even') sound identical but are completely unrelated words.