How to Say ‘I'm sorry, Wednesday is a little...’ in Japanese
すみません、水曜日はちょっと…。
sumi mase n suiyoubi wa chotto
[sue-mee mah-SEH n soo-ee-YOH-bee wah CHOHT-toh]
🇯🇵 In Japan: Opening with an apology and then trailing off softens a refusal. A blunt "Wednesday is no good" would sound cold on a business call.
Phrase Breakdown
すみません、
sumi mase n
I'm sorry,
A soft apology before declining. Pause briefly after it.
すみません、無理です。
Sorry, I can't.
Words in this phrase
すみ
sumi
[sue-mee]
excuse
A stem used in polite expressions like apologies or getting someone's attention.
すみません、コンサートのチケットについて聞きたいです。
Excuse me, I would like to ask about the concert tickets.
ませ
mase
[mah-SEH]
polite verb form (here part of 'sumimasen')
The polite auxiliary 'masu' in its stem form 'mase', followed by 'n' to make it negative. Together with 'sumi' it forms 'sumimasen', meaning 'excuse me'.
まだ決まっていません。
It hasn't been decided yet.
ん
n
[n]
(negative ending)
Contracted form of the polite negative ending, as in ありません.
今日は時間がありません。
I don't have time today.
水曜日はちょっと…。
suiyoubi wa chotto
Wednesday is a bit (difficult)…
'suiyōbi wa chotto'. Let your voice fade at the end.
金曜日はちょっと…。
Friday is a bit difficult…
Words in this phrase
水曜日
suiyoubi
[soo-ee-YOH-bee]
Wednesday
The day of the week after Tuesday; literally 'water day'.
水曜日に会議があります。
There is a meeting on Wednesday.
は
wa
[wah]
topic marker; as for
Marks 'today' as the topic. Written は but pronounced 'wa.'
本日はお時間をいただき、ありがとうございます。
Thank you for giving me your time today.
ちょっと
chotto
[CHOHT-toh]
a bit difficult (polite refusal)
Said trailing off to softly decline something without saying no directly.
今日はちょっと…。
Today is a bit... (not good).
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