How to Say ‘Excuse me’ in Japanese
すみません
sumi mase n
[soo-mee mah-seh n]
🇯🇵 In Japan: Here it works as a soft "sorry" before asking a favor. It's the natural way to get a cashier to repeat a price you missed.
Phrase Breakdown
すみ
sumi
[soo-mee]
excuse me; sorry
A polite attention-getter and light apology. Used to call a pharmacist/staff or to be polite before asking for help.
すみません、薬剤師さん。
Excuse me, pharmacist.
ませ
mase
[mah-seh]
polite negative (part of ません)
「ませ」 is part of 「ません」, the polite negative form.
はいていません。
I haven’t vomited.
ん
n
[n]
negative ending
The final sound completing the negative polite form.
一人は魚が食べられません。
One person cannot eat fish.
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