Hello, everyone! I’m Masa!
Japanese people always say “I’m sorry,” even when they don’t think they are sorry(lol).
You can’t live in Japan without knowing how to say “I’m sorry” in Japanese.
We have many ways to say “I’m sorry.” I’ll show you each of them and give some example sentences.
How to Say “I’m Sorry” in Japanese?
悪(わる)い (Very Casual)
悪(わる)い is the most casual way to say “I’m sorry.”
悪(わる)い originally means “Bad.”
悪(わる)いことをしてごめんね(I’m sorry, that’s my bad.) was the original sentence.
And people shortened this phrase,
悪(わる)いことをしてごめんね。(I’m sorry, that’s my bad.) → 悪(わる)い。 (My bad.)
Example Sentences
A：悪(わる)い、ちょっと遅(おく)れた。
B：いいよ。今日(きょう)は何(なに)する？A：I’m a bit late, sorry.
B：It’s okay. What do we do today?
People use this phrase for minor mistakes.
ごめん、ごめんなさい (Casual)
ごめん、ごめんなさい are used in a casual situation. You can say these phrases to your friends and family.
“ごめんなさい” is a polite way of saying “ごめん,” but it’s not polite enough to be used in business.
Example Sentences
A：Masa! ゲームは一時間(いちじかん)までって言(い)ったでしょ！
B：ごめんなさい、お母さん。A：Masa! I told you that you could play games for only an hour!
B：I’m sorry, mom.
A：なんで遅(おく)れたの？ カフェ閉(し)まっちゃったよ！
B：ごめん、電車(でんしゃ)乗(の)り遅(おく)れた。A：Why are you late? The caffe was just closed!
B：I’m sorry, I missed my train.
すみません、すみませんでした (Polite)
すみません、すみませんでした are polite ways to say “I’m sorry.”
Japanese people say these to an older person.
Example Sentences
A：宿題(しゅくだい)やったのか？
B：先生(せんせい)すみません、忘(わす)れてました。A：Are you done with your homework?
B：I’m sorry, teacher. I forgot to do my homework.
A：今月(こんげつ)の目標(もくひょう)未達成(みたっせい)だね。
B：すみませんでした。来月は達成します。A：You undershot the target this month.
B：I’m sorry, I will achieve the goal next month.
申(もう)し訳(わけ)ございません、申(もう)し訳(わけ)ございませんでした (Most Polite)
These two are the most polite ways to say “I’m sorry.”
You can use these phrases when you make some big mistakes and apologize to your supervisors or clients.
Example Sentences
A：すみません、私(わたし)ピザじゃなくてパスタ頼(たの)んだんですけど。
B：申(もう)し訳(わけ)ございません！ ただ今(いま)パスタをお持(も)ちいたします。A：Excuse me. I ordered pasta, not pizza.
B：I’m so sorry! I’ll be right back and get you pasta.
A：この前(まえ)は私(わたし)のミスでご迷惑(めいわく)をおかけして申(もう)し訳(わけ)ございませんでした。
B：大丈夫(だいじょうぶ)ですよ。気(き)にしないでください。A：I’m so sorry that I made a mistake, which has troubled you.
B：It’s okay! Don’t worry about it!
Now, you know several ways to apologize!!
I hope this helps you a lot!
じゃあね！
If you want to know more REAL Japanese phrases, click here!!
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