しかし

Japanese

Etymology 1
Alternative spellings
然し
併し

/ɕikari ɕi/ → /ɕikaɕɕi/ → /ɕikaɕi/

Originally 然り (shikari, “being like so”, the 連用形 (ren'yōkei, “continuative or stem form”) of classical verb 然り (shikari, “to be like so”)) + し (shi, the 連体形 (rentaikei, “attributive form”) of past recollective auxiliary き (ki)). This abbreviated from shikari shi to shikasshi, and then shortened further to shikashi.

The initial sense may have been parseable as that [preceding statement] being so, ..., much like English phrases such as be that as it may or that said, followed by a statement in opposition to the earlier statement.

Pronunciation

Conjunction

しかし • (shikashi) 

  1. (formal) but, however
    • 1911, 与謝野晶子, 産屋物語:
      しかし男(おとこ)は必(かなら)ずしもそうと限(かぎ)りません。
      Shikashi otoko wa kanarazu shi mo sō to kagirimasen.
      But men are not always like that.
Alternative forms

Etymology 2
For pronunciation and definitions of しかし – see the following entries.
【私窩子】
[noun] prostitute
(This term, しかし, is the hiragana spelling of the above term.)

(The following entry is uncreated: 私窠子.)

References
  1. Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  2. NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK Publishing, →ISBN
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