Everyday Japanese
Basic Greetings
Good morning [polite] Good day Good evening Good night [polite] Bye/See you later Good bye [for a long time] Thank you [polite] [extra polite] You're welcome [informal] Yes No |
ohayou ohayou gozaimasu konnichiwa konbanwa oyasumi oyasumi nasai mata ne sayounara arigatou arigatou gozaimasu doumo arigatou gozaimasu douitashimashite iie hai iie |
Saying 'sorry'
In Japanese there is no one universal way to say 'I'm sorry', instead, the speaker must carefully
choose a variant that is most fitting for the situation. For foreigners in Japan, this can be somewhat
of a challenge!
sumimasen すみません [Excuse me]
This phrase is commonly used when trying to attract somebody's attention, but is also said when
asking somebody to move or bumping into somebody.
The word sumimasen is made up of the verb 済む sumu [to be ended], and the negative ending
ません masen, and literally means 'has not ended' and may be understood as 'since you have done
me this kindness, the matter has not ended'.
You may also hear すみません sumimasen being used to express thanks.
gomen nasai ごめんなさい [Sorry]
Used much like sorry in English, however it is somewhat informal. Try not to use this when talking to your seniors or superiors.
A more casual way to express this kind of 'sorry' is to simply say ごめん gomen or ごめんね.
shitsureishimasu 失礼します [I'm being rude]
When entering a room (for example in a meeting), or leaving a room when there are others staying behind, it is courtesy to say 失礼します shitsureishimasu.
In Japanese there is no one universal way to say 'I'm sorry', instead, the speaker must carefully
choose a variant that is most fitting for the situation. For foreigners in Japan, this can be somewhat
of a challenge!
sumimasen すみません [Excuse me]
This phrase is commonly used when trying to attract somebody's attention, but is also said when
asking somebody to move or bumping into somebody.
The word sumimasen is made up of the verb 済む sumu [to be ended], and the negative ending
ません masen, and literally means 'has not ended' and may be understood as 'since you have done
me this kindness, the matter has not ended'.
You may also hear すみません sumimasen being used to express thanks.
gomen nasai ごめんなさい [Sorry]
Used much like sorry in English, however it is somewhat informal. Try not to use this when talking to your seniors or superiors.
A more casual way to express this kind of 'sorry' is to simply say ごめん gomen or ごめんね.
shitsureishimasu 失礼します [I'm being rude]
When entering a room (for example in a meeting), or leaving a room when there are others staying behind, it is courtesy to say 失礼します shitsureishimasu.