Japanese Conjunctions: Soshite, Demo, Dakara and Other Sentence Starters

What sentence-starting conjunctions do

English speakers often join clauses inside one long sentence. Japanese does that too, with te forms, kara, kedo and noni, but it also has a large family of words that start a new sentence and point back to the previous one. They are called setsuzokushi, and many of them are built from sore, that, plus a particle or verb: sore kara, from that; sore de, with that; sore ni, on top of that; sore demo, even with that.

Knowing that origin helps you remember them. Sorekara literally says after that, so it is about sequence. Sorede says with that as the cause, so it introduces a result. Sore ni says added to that, so it piles on another point.

The table below shows the eleven conjunctions in this guide with their core meaning and the register where they feel most at home. Spoken means natural in conversation; neutral means fine in both speech and writing; written means typical of essays, news, reports and formal speeches.

Adding and sequencing: soshite, sorekara and sore ni

Soshite is the general and. In speech it often introduces the last and most important item, much like and finally, while in writing it links sentences in a narrative. Sorekara is the go-to word for listing actions in order when you speak: I went to the shop, and then I went home. It can also mean and also when you remember one more thing to order or mention.

Sore ni adds another point in the same direction, usually another reason or another good or bad feature. It is common when you are building a case: the flat is cheap, and besides, it's close to the station. Because it stacks reasons, sore ni often leads naturally to a conclusion with dakara.

Contrast: demo, shikashi and sore demo

Demo is the everyday but at the start of a sentence. Friends, colleagues and teachers all use it in speech. Shikashi means the same thing but belongs in essays, news reports, lectures and formal speeches; using it in a chat with a friend sounds like you are reading from a textbook. Between them sit dakedo, a casual but, and desu ga or keredomo, which sound politer at the start of a sentence.

Sore demo is different from demo. It means even so or despite that: the first sentence would lead you to expect one result, and the second says the opposite happened anyway. Demo simply contrasts; sore demo contrasts against an expectation.

A quick test: if you can say and yet or even so in English, sore demo fits. If plain but is enough, use demo in speech or shikashi in writing.

Cause and result: dakara and sorede

Dakara means so or that's why. The first sentence gives a reason, and dakara introduces the conclusion, which can be anything: a fact, a decision, a request or an order. The polite version is desu kara, and in written Japanese you will see shitagatte, therefore, or sono tame, for that reason.

Sorede also introduces a result, but a more natural, factual one: something that happened because of what came before. It works best in storytelling and explanations. The key restriction is that the sentence after sorede cannot be a request, an order, an invitation or the speaker's intention. For those, use dakara.

Sorede has a second, conversational use: said on its own with a rising tone, sorede? means and then? or so what happened? It invites the other person to continue a story.

Changing topic and summarising: tokoro de and tsumari

Tokoro de means by the way and shifts the conversation to a new topic. It is very useful for moving from small talk to the actual reason you called or came over. In casual speech, sō ieba, speaking of which, is a softer alternative when the new topic is loosely related to what was just said.

Tsumari means in other words, in short or that is to say. It restates or sums up what came before, often to check understanding or to draw a conclusion. You will hear it in meetings, lectures and explanations, and also as a learner's lifeline when you want to confirm you have understood: tsumari, ... to iu koto desu ka? So what you mean is...?

Narrative results: suru to

Suru to, sometimes sō suru to, means then or whereupon. It links an action to what happened immediately after it, usually something the speaker noticed or discovered, often unexpected. It is typical of stories, written accounts and explanations of cause and effect, and less common in everyday chat, where people tend to say soshitara or sōshitara instead.

Like sorede, suru to describes what happened, so the second sentence is a fact, not a request or plan. It also tends not to describe the speaker's own deliberate next action; it reports a result or a discovery.

Spoken vs written: choosing the right register

Register is where learners slip most often. A spoken conjunction in an essay looks sloppy, and a written one in conversation sounds stiff. The pairs below have similar meanings but belong to different settings, so pick according to where you are.

In rapid casual speech, sorede is often shortened to just de at the start of a sentence: de, dō shita no? And so, what did you do? This is fine with friends but avoid it in interviews or with customers.

Common mistakes with Japanese conjunctions

• Using sorede before a request: sorede, tetsudatte kudasai sounds wrong. Use dakara or desu kara when the second sentence asks, orders or invites.
• Using shikashi in conversation. It is not wrong, but it sounds like a news anchor. With friends and colleagues, demo or desu ga is natural.
• Confusing demo and sore demo. Demo is a simple but; sore demo means even so, against expectation.
• Starting every sentence with a conjunction. Japanese often leaves the link implied or uses te forms and kara inside one sentence. Too many conjunctions make speech sound like a list.
• Saying dakara at the start of every answer. It can sound as if you are correcting or scolding the listener.
• Using suru to for your own plans: suru to, ashita iku tsumori desu does not work. Suru to reports what happened, not what you intend.
• Mixing up soshite and sorekara when ordering food. For and also, sorekara is the natural choice in speech.