40049
I personally learned beginner Japanese using the Genki textbooks, though I
think this is similar for other beginner textbooks. In these textbooks, they
teach が to mean "but", as in "日本料理が好きです **が** 、生卵が嫌いです。" However, when I was
in Japan this past summer, I don't believe I ever heard people use が this way.
けど was so much more common, and when people wanted to be formal, they used けれど
or けれども. (I was in Nagoya, so it may be a regional thing.)

Why do textbooks teach が when けど seems so much more commonly used?
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-09-14T03:12:47.570
39184
2016-10-17T00:55:56.463
10795
question
conjunctions
Why do textbooks teach が as "but" when けど is more common?
In each of spoken & written categories, i think 「が」 is at least 3 times as
common as 「けれども」 and variants ( 「だけど」 「けれど」 「けど」 「けども」 ... ) combined.

* * *

I think textbooks all over the world respect the (formal) [written word] over
the (casual) [spoken word].

What's a good example in English ?

  * No introductory textbook of English begin with "gonna", "ain't", ... etc.

  * U.S. elementary schools teach the pronuciation "Twen-tee" when "Twa-nee" is much more common.

Other (better) examples ?

```

        and, Yes, we love it when foreigners speak polite and over-polite Japanese.
    
```

> <http://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/jn/68969/meaning/m0u/>
>
> [補説]
> 「けれども」は中世末、形容詞活用の已然形語尾に接続助詞「ども」が付いてできたもの。近世前期になると、くだけた感じを伴う「けれど」「けど」が生じ、後期には、「けども」が成立した。

「けれども」 is longer and more awkward.

It can sound too colloquial for an introductory textbook. -- 「が」 is just as
good, or better.

「が」 sounds more modern. -- 「けれども」 can sound old-fashioned. like Kobun.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-09-14T18:19:18.250
39198
2016-09-14T21:32:21.213
2016-09-14T21:32:21.213
16344
16344
39184
answer
Just my personal opinion but as I am living in Tokyo now, I've only heard
people saying が very few times too. In my textbooks, I was taught that けど is
the informal form of が so in the beginning I didn't dare to use it until I
heard most people do. けど is much more frequently used in daily conversations,
regardless of the circumstances. In terms of けれども, I hear it very often during
speeches or formal meetings, so I believe it is neither uncommon nor regional,
but of course awkward if you use it in casual conversations.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-10-17T00:55:56.463
40049
2016-10-17T00:55:56.463
18225
39184
answer