How to Say ‘Sorry.’ in Japanese
ごめんなさい。
gomen nasai
[goh-mehn nah-sah-ee]
💬 Usage Tip: [ごめんなさい] is a clear apology. More casual: [ごめん]. More formal: [申し訳ありません].
🇯🇵 In Japan: Apologizing quickly is common and can be more about smoothing the situation than admitting “fault.”
Phrase Breakdown
ごめん
gomen
[goh-mehn]
sorry (casual-polite)
ごめん is “sorry” (casual). Often followed by なさい to make ごめんなさい, a common apology.
ごめん、気づきませんでした。
Sorry, I didn’t notice.
なさい
nasai
[nah-sah-ee]
please do (soft command) / (part of apology)
In ごめんなさい, なさい forms a set apology meaning “I’m sorry.” It’s more polite than ごめん.
ごめんなさい、すぐ音楽を小さくします。
I’m sorry, I’ll turn the music down right away.
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