How to say sorry in Japanese: 10 useful phrases
In Japanese culture, it’s a sign of politeness to be humble! This is why Japanese people tend to apologize frequently in daily life, even if they haven’t done anything “wrong”. There are a wide variety of ways and words on how to say sorry in Japanese. It’s important to know the differences and when to use them!
At the end there is a sample dialogue between me and kitsune-san (I accidentally ate his kitsune soba noodles! oops…).
Phrases for apologies in Japanese
謝る – ayamaru – to apologize
This is a verb that means “to apologize”. Although it can’t be used as an apology, it’s important to know the word so you can describe this action!
明日社長に謝らないといけない。
Ashita shachou ni ayamaranaito ikenai.
I have to apologize to the company president tomorrow.
ごめん / ごめんなさい – gomen / gomen nasai – I’m sorry
These two phrases can be used when you’re apologizing for non serious matters. ごめん is the casual form and ごめんなさい is more formal. It’s also commonly used when you’re apologizing to people who are close to you like friends and family.
Casual form:
ごめん！冷蔵庫に入っていたプリンを間違えて食べちゃった！
Gomen! Reizouko ni haitteita purin o machigaete tabechatta!
I’m sorry! I accidentally ate the pudding that was in the fridge!
Formal form:
ごめんなさい！冷蔵庫に入っていたプリンを間違えて食べてしまいました。
Gomen nasai! Reizouko ni haitte ita purin o machigaete tabete shimaimashita.
I’m sorry! I accidentally ate the pudding that was in the fridge.
悪かった – warukatta – It was my bad
This is a casual way to say that you know that you did something bad. 悪い(warui) means “bad”, so it directly translates to something like “my bad”.
悪かった！すっかりパーティーのこと忘れちゃった。
Warukatta! Sukkari paatii no koto wasure chatta.
It was my bad! I completely forgot about the party.
悪いけど… – waruikedo… – I feel bad but…
This is a common phrase beginning to ask favors. In Japanese culture, it’s more polite to mention that you feel bad or you feel that you’re troubling the other person for doing something for you.
悪いけどスーパーで買い物してきてくれない？
Waruikedo, suupaa de kaimono shitekitekurenai?
I feel bad but, do you mind going shopping at the supermarket?
すみません – sumimasen – excuse me or sorry
すみません can be used in a wide variety of ways and it’s a polite word. When used as an apology, it’s very casual so it should only be used for small apologies.
Here are some examples based on different occasions:
- As “excuse me” (common in restaurants and cafes)
すみません！ コーヒーお願いします。
Sumimasen! Koohii onegaishimasu.
Excuse me! Could I have a coffee?
すみません！質問があります。
Sumimasen! Shitsumon ga arimasu.
Excuse me! I have a question.
- As “sorry” ( for ex. if you bump into someone accidentally)
すみません!
sumimasen!
I’m sorry!
- Saying “sorry” to show gratitude
わざわざケーキまで持ってきてくださって、すみません！
Wazawaza keeki made motte kite kudasatte, sumimasen!
You even brought cake here, I’m sorry for all of the trouble.
申し訳ありません – moushi wake arimasen – I’m very sorry
This is a more polite way to apologize than ごめんなさい (gomen nasai). If you have to say sorry to someone who is of higher status than you, make sure to use this phrase.
申し訳ありません。数え間違えました。
Moushiwake arimasen. Kazoe machigae mashita.
I’m very sorry. I miscounted.
大変申し訳ございません – taihen moushiwake gozaimasen -I’m terribly sorry.
If you need to apologize for something that you feel extremely sorry for, this is the phrase that should be used. It is the most polite out of all of the apologies.
大変申し訳ございません。明日は会議に行けなくなりました。
Taihen moushiwake gozaimasen. Ashita wa kaigi ni ikenakunarimashita.
I’m terribly sorry. I will not be able to go to the meeting tomorrow.
ご迷惑をおかけしました – gomeiwaku o okakeshimashita – I am sorry for the trouble I caused.
This phrase is useful if you have inconvenienced someone because of you. 迷惑(meiwaku) means “trouble” and this phrase in the polite form.
仕事が間に合わなくて、ご迷惑をおかけしました。
Shigoto ga maniawanakute, gomeiwaku o okakeshimashita.
The work wasn’t done on time and I’m sorry for the trouble I caused.
迷惑をかけてごめん – meiwaku o kakete gomen – I’m sorry for causing you trouble
This is the casual version of the previous phrase. You can use it with friends and family.
お金を貸してくれてありがとう。迷惑をかけてごめん。
Okane o kashitekurete arigatou. Meiwaku o kaketegomen.
Thanks for lending me money. I’m sorry for causing you trouble.
失礼します。- shitsurei shimasu – Excuse me / sorry for my rudeness
If you need to enter someone’s room or dressing room, you should say this phrase to be polite. It is used to apologize for being rude.
For example, if you forgot something in the dressing room. You could say this while entering:
失礼します。忘れ物をしました。
Shitsurei shimasu. Wasuremono o shimashita.
Excuse me (i’ll be going inside). I forgot something.
Present tense vs. Past tense
In English, we usually say “I’m sorry” in the present tense, even if the event happened in the past. In Japanese, it’s important to differentiate present and past tense apologies.
Present tense should only be used if the action you’re apologizing for is happening in the current moment.
申し訳ありません！コップを割ってしまいました。
Moushiwake arimasen! Koppu o watte shimaimashita.
I’m sorry! I just broke the cup.
If an action happened in the past, or even earlier in the day, you must use the past tense. This sounds weird in English, but it’s necessary to be aware of this in Japanese.
今日は会議に遅れて大変申し訳ございませんでした。
Kyou wa kaigi ni okurete taihen moushiwake gozaimasen deshita.
I was terribly sorry that I was late to the meeting today.
Sample dialogue using apologies:
Kitsune is mad at Tanuki for eating his soba noodles… Kitsune is marked by a “K” and Tanuki is marked by a “T” in this dialogue.
K:テーブルにキツネそばがあったんだけど、見当たらない。
Teeburu ni kitsune soba ga attandakedo, miataranai.
There were kitsune soba noodles on the table, but now I can’t find it.
T:そのそば、キツネさんのだったの？
Sono soba, kitsunesan no dattano?
Were those noodles yours, Kitsune?
K:そうだよ。
Soudayo.
Yeah.
T:ごめん、食べちゃった。
Gomen, tabechatta.
I’m sorry, I ate it.
K:えー！よくも私のキツネそば食べたな！
Ee! Yoku mo boku no kitsune soba tabetana!
What! How dare you eat my kitsune soba noodles.
T:そんなに大事なそばだと思わなかった。
Sonna ni daiji na soba dato omowanakatta.
I didn’t think those noodles were so important.
K:もうタヌキさんとは口を聞きたくない！
Tanuki san to kuchi o kikitakunai!
I don’t want to talk with Tanuki anymore!
T:悪かった。もうしません。
Warukatta. Mou shimasenn.
It was my bad. I won’t do it again.
K:今度タヌキさんのタヌキそば食べるからね。
Kondo tanuki san no tanuki soba taberukarane.
Tanuki, next time I’m gonna eat your tanuki soba noodles.
I hope this article on apologies can be helpful next time you need to figure out how to be polite or apologise for something. Be sure to check out my other Japanese learning articles like How to Introduce Yourself in Japanese or Filler words in Japanese: How to use them!
~Tanuki