How do you say "Excuse me." in Japanese?

"Excuse me." in Japanese is "すみません。". This phrase is commonly used in Japan.

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How to Say ‘Excuse me.’ in Japanese

Q: What does "すみません。" mean in English?

"すみません。" means "Excuse me." in English. Usage tip: [すみません] is super versatile: “excuse me,” “sorry,” or even “thank you (for the trouble).” Often said with a small bow.

すみません。

sumi mase n

[SOO-mee MAH-seh N (as in “n”)]

💬 Usage Tip: [すみません] is super versatile: “excuse me,” “sorry,” or even “thank you (for the trouble).” Often said with a small bow.

🇯🇵 In Japan: In Japan, saying [すみません] is the polite all-purpose opener for getting attention at shops, on trains, or before asking a question.

Phrase Breakdown

すみ

sumi

[SOO-mee]

excuse me / sorry

A common prefix in “すみません,” used in casual/fast speech; comes from すむ (to be settled), implying “it won’t be settled,” i.e., “I’m sorry / excuse me.”

Example

すみません、今ちょっといいですか。

Excuse me, do you have a moment now?

ませ

mase

[MAH-seh]

(part of) -masen (polite negative)

A fragment of the polite negative ending -ません in すみません; it helps make the phrase polite and soft.

Example

すみません、まだ分かりません。

Sorry, I still don’t understand.

ん

[N (as in “n”)]

(part of) -n (ending sound)

The final ん sound that completes ません; it closes the phrase “すみません” naturally.

Example

すみません、もう一度お願いします。

Excuse me, please one more time.

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