Learning how to apologize and ask for forgiveness in Japanese can be very helpful when you did or said something mean or hurtful to another person by accident. In those cases, you want to say you’re sorry and, if you were serious, you should apologize to them.
The most polite way to say sorry is to say sumimasen. Sumimasen has many meanings, but basically they all mean the same thing. You can also use sumimasen as excuse.
Sumimasen. Kore wa ikura desu ka?
Excuse me, how much is this?
Sumimasen!
I am sorry!
Sumimasen can also be used as a thank you. You usually say sumimasen as a way of politely thanking someone for taking the trouble to do something for you.
Another basic Japanese word for offering an apology is Gomen. Wearing gomen by itself can be a bit informal and not very polite. To make it sound more polite, you should say gomen nasai.
gomen nasai Daijoubu desu ka?
I am sorry. Are you okay? (After bumping into someone.)
Gomen gomen, kondo haru dakara.
Sorry, I’ll pay you next time.
gomen kudasai! Dareka imasen ka?
Excuse me! Anyone at home?
Another way to casually say sorry is to use the Japanese word warui. Warui literally means bad. You can think of it as guilt.
Suman, ore ga warukatta.
Sorry, my bad (it was my fault).
Zenbu omae ga warukatta deshou.
It was all your fault.
See how easy it is to say sorry in Japanese? As a general rule, you’ll want to use the polite form for people you respect and those who are older than you. You can use the informal form among your friends or anyone who can’t find casual language.
