How to Say ‘Excuse me.’ in Japanese
すみません。
sumi mase n
[sumi mah-seh n]
Phrase Breakdown
すみ
sumi
[sumi]
excuse me; sorry
The first part of すみません, from 済む. In this set it helps form a polite apology or attention-getting phrase.
すみません、と言いました。
I said, “Excuse me.”
ませ
mase
[mah-seh]
polite verb stem part
This is part of the polite ending ます／ません. By itself, it is not usually used alone.
ませんの前にませがあります。
Before ん, there is ませ.
ん
n
[n]
n; negative ending part
This ん completes ません, the polite negative ending. Alone, it is just a sound/unit here.
んはませんの最後です。
ん is the last part of ません.
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