それでも — Even so / Nevertheless / Still
A sentence-initial conjunction meaning 'even so / despite that.' It signals that, despite the situation just mentioned, the following result or feeling still holds or runs counter to expectation.
Structure
[Context]. それでも + [contrasting action/feeling]
Examples
雨が降っている。それでも彼は来た。
Ame ga futte iru. Soredemo kare wa kita.
It's raining. Even so, he came.
それでも = despite that (the rain)
失敗した。それでも、諦めない。
Shippai shita. Soredemo, akiramenai.
I failed. Even so, I won't give up.
persistence despite adversity
値段が高い。それでも買いたい。
Nedan ga takai. Soredemo kaitai.
The price is high. Even so, I want to buy it.
desire persists despite the obstacle
• それでも vs でも: both mean 'but / even so.' それでも is more emphatic, explicitly pointing back at the stated situation (それ = that); でも is more casual and general. • Register ladder: しかし (formal 'but'), でも (casual 'but'), それでも ('even so, despite that'), とはいえ ('that said,' more literary).
Commonly confused with
The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones それでも is tested against.
vs でも
でも is a broad, casual 'but.' それでも specifically means 'even after accepting that fact, still…,' referring concretely to the prior statement.
vs のに
のに joins two clauses in one sentence with a tone of complaint/surprise ('even though'). それでも starts a new sentence and states the contrasting result more neutrally.
More conjunctions
Study Japanese grammar on LenGaki
Everything on this page, free to browse
- 7,788 JLPT vocabulary words, N5 through N1, with readings and audio
- 2,057 kanji with on'yomi, kun'yomi and stroke-order practice
- 444 grammar points with examples and commonly-confused comparisons
- Full-length N5 and N4 mock exams, timed, with real listening audio
Get the Android app