English–Japanese
“i'm sorry” in Japanese
How to say “i'm sorry” in Japanese
“I'm sorry” in Japanese is ごめん (gomen). ごめん can also mean “I'm sorry” and “sorry”.
Marks a casual apology for a mistake or inconvenience and can also serve as a gentle way to interrupt someone.
Example sentences with ごめん
宿題を忘れてごめん。明日は持ってきます。shuku dai o wasu re te go me n asu wa mo tte ki ma su
Sorry for forgetting my homework. I will bring it tomorrow.
電話に出られなくて、ごめんと伝えました。den wa ni de ra re na ku te go me n to tsuta e ma shi ta
I said I was sorry for not answering the phone.
Tips for using ごめん
- In everyday speech, ごめん (gomen) is casual, while すみません (sumimasen) is commonly chosen when greater politeness is needed.
Other Japanese words for “i'm sorry”
すみません、まちがえました。su mi ma se n ma chi ga e ma shi ta
I'm sorry, I made a mistake.