だって (datte) meaning

Question

What are the possible uses for だって?

Answer 1

It can mean "but" (similar to でも):

A: 学校に行きなさい！ (Go to school!)
B: だって頭痛んだもん！ (But, my head hurts!)

This is often used by children, and can come across as cute or childish.

It can mean "even" (again, similar to でも):

頑張れば君だってできるよ！ (If you work hard even you can do it!)

It can mean the same as だと (or more generally, と becomes って)

彼のことが好きだって気づいた (I realised that I like him)

This use is conversational.

Answer 2

From Handbook of Japanese Grammar, Masahiro Tanimori:

INFORMAL PARTICLE OR CONJUNCTION (usually used by women and children) MEANING: but, because, also, even

1. At the beginning of a sentence

   (in answer to a question)

   「いきたくないの。」　「だって疲れているんだもの」

   "Ikitakunai no?" "Datte tsukarete iru n da mono."

   "You don't want to go?" "Because I'm tired."

   (in reply to an imperative)

   「もうねる時間ですよ。」　「だって眠くないんだもの」

   "Mou neru jikan desu yo." "Datte nemuku nai n da mono."

   "It's time you went to bed." "But I'm not sleepy."

2. After noun

   金持ちだって不幸な時もある

   Kanemochi datte fukou-na toki mo aru.

   Even rich people are unhappy sometimes.

   「あんなことはいやだ」　「私だっていやだ」 "Anna koto wa iya da." "Watashi datte iya da."

   I hate such things. I do, too.

3. Used with interrogative pronoun (dare, nan, and doko + datte mean everybody, everything and everywhere, respectively)

   だれだってそれには怒ります。

   Dare datte sore ni wa okorimasu.

   Everybody gets angry at that.

   彼はスポーツならなんだってできます。

   Kare wa supootsu nara nan datte dekimasu.

   If it's sports, he can play everything.

Answer 3

According to my book (Japanese for Everyone, its Amazon.co.uk page), だって means well, because. But I do not know when to use it... sorry

Answer 4

It means but, and there is something negative omitted (implied).