Chinese word

对不起

Pronunciation

Pinyinduì bù qǐ

Meaning

  • interjectionsorry

Example

对不起，我迟到了。duì bù qǐ wǒ chí dào le

Sorry, I'm late.

Illustration for 对不起 (sorry)

More examples

他没带作业，跟老师说对不起。tā méi dài zuò yè gēn lǎo shī shuō duì bù qǐ

He did not bring his homework, so he said sorry to his teacher.

Core concept

A short spoken signal that marks trouble caused to another person and seeks a kind response.

Common phrases

  • 跟他说对不起gēn tā shuō duì bù qǐ

    say sorry to him

  • 跟妈妈说对不起gēn mā mā shuō duì bù qǐ

    say sorry to Mom

Similar words

抱歉bào qiàn: A courteous way to apologize in conversation, phone calls, or written messages.
不好意思bù hǎo yì si: A light, informal apology used in everyday situations.

Definition in Chinese

简短的感叹词，用来表示对他人造成不便或伤害时的歉意，也可用于承认错误并请求谅解，常见于口语交流。jián duǎn de gǎn tàn cí yòng lái biǎo shì duì tā rén zào chéng bú biàn huò shāng hài shí de qiàn yì yě kě yòng yú chéng rèn cuò wù bìng qǐng qiú liàng jiě cháng jiàn yú kóu yǔ jiāo liú

Word origin

对不起 (duìbùqǐ, "sorry") contrasts with 对得起 (duìdeqǐ, "to treat someone fairly"), expressing that the speaker has not treated the other person properly.

Usage tips

  • For a small interruption, this word can come first to show care for the other person, even when no serious mistake has happened.

Other meanings

  • excuse meinterjection

Opposites

Word lists with this word