Learning to apologize and say sorry in Japanese can be very helpful when you have done or said something mean or harmful to another person by accident. In those cases, you want to say you’re sorry, and if they were serious, you should ask for their forgiveness.

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 an excuse.

Sumimasen. Kore wa ikura desu ka?

Excuse me, how much is this?

Sumimasen!

I’m 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 an apology is Gomen. Wearing gomen by itself can be a bit casual and not very polite. To make it sound more polite, you should say gomen nasai.

Gomen nasai. Daijoubu desu ka?

I’m sorry. Are you OK? (After colliding with someone).

Gomen gomen, kondo haru dakara.

Sorry, I’ll pay you next time.

Gomen kudasai! Dareka imasen ka?

Excuse me moi! Anyone 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.