connective N3 common casual

だって — because

だって

Meaning

because ~ / but ~ — a casual, often defensive opener giving one's reason or excuse

Key sentence

「どうして食たべないの？」「だって、お腹なかがいっぱいなんだもん。」

"Why aren't you eating?" "Because I'm full."

Formation

Attaches to	Form	Example
Sentence-initial, before the reason (often closing with 〜もん / 〜から)	だって、[reason]	だって、…んだもん

When: Casual spoken only — sounds childlike or self-justifying; common when defending oneself.

Examples

だって、彼かれが先さきに始はじめたんだよ。

But he's the one who started it!

今日きょうは行いきたくない。だって、すごく疲つかれているから。

I don't want to go today — because I'm really tired.

Easily confused with

からから states a reason neutrally inside a sentence. だって opens the sentence to push back or make an excuse — it has an emotional, defensive tone から lacks. だって (even) Same shape, different job: this だって gives a reason ('because'). The particle だって on a noun means 'even / too' (子こどもだって = even a child).

Notes

Frequently pairs with the sentence-ending 〜もん / 〜もの, which reinforces the excusing tone.

See だって in real sentences

Jengo shows だって the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.

Study it in Jengo

Sources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Advanced Japanese Grammar, A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar. Editorial confidence: medium.

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