Learn how to apologize yourself and say that you are sorry
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| Introduction |
| John: Making Apologies. In this lesson, you'll learn how to apologize and say that you are sorry in Japanese. |
| Body |
| John: Here's the formal way to say "Excuse me" or “I'm sorry” in Japanese. |
| Risa: [Normal] すみません。(Sumimasen.) |
| John: This expression has only one word meaning "excuse me" or "sorry." |
| Risa: [Normal] すみません [Slow] すみません (sumimasen) |
| John: Listen again to the formal word meaning "Excuse me." |
| Risa: [Slow] すみません。 [Normal] すみません。 |
| John: Okay, now let's see the more polite way to say "Excuse me" or “I'm sorry” |
| Risa: [Normal] どうもすみません。(Dōmo sumimasen,) |
| John: First is a word meaning "very much." |
| Risa: [Normal] どうも [Slow] どうも (dōmo) |
| John: Last is the word meaning "excuse me, sorry." |
| Risa: [Normal] すみません [Slow] すみません (sumimasen) |
| John: Listen again to the polite phrase meaning "Excuse me." |
| Risa: [Slow] どうもすみません。 [Normal] どうもすみません。 |
| John: The following is an alternative way to say "I'm sorry." |
| Risa: [Normal] ごめんなさい。(Gomen’nasai.) |
| John: First is a word meaning "sorry." |
| Risa: [Normal] ごめん [Slow] ごめん(gomen ) |
| John: Last is a polite phrase used to add politeness to the expression. |
| Risa: [Normal] なさい [Slow] なさい(nasai) |
| John: Note that this is less polite than "sumimasen." Listen again to the phrase meaning "I'm sorry." |
| Risa: [Slow] ごめんなさい。 [Normal] ごめんなさい。 |
| John: Finally, this is a casual way to say "I'm sorry" to your friends. |
| Risa: [Normal] ごめん。(Gomen.) |
| John: This expression has only one word meaning "I'm sorry." |
| Risa: [Normal] ごめん [Slow] ごめん(gomen) |
| John: Note that this is a casual expression, so you can’t use it with your boss or someone older than you. Listen again to the word meaning "I'm sorry." |
| Risa: [Slow] ごめん。 [Normal] ごめん。 |
| Cultural Insight |
| John: Now, it's time for a quick cultural insight. |
| Risa: When saying sumimasen or gomen’nasai, Japanese people often bow. When you lightly say "Excuse me," you just bow by lowering your head slightly. On the other hand, when you deeply apologize to someone, you should bend your head very low. |
Outro |
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| John: And that's all for this lesson. Don't forget to check out the lesson notes, and we'll see you in the next lesson! |
| Risa: またね！(mata ne!) |
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