How to Say ‘Excuse me.’ in Japanese
すみません。
sumi mase n
[soo-mee mah-seh n]
💬 Usage Tip: Use [すみません] to get a staff member’s attention or to start a request politely. It can mean “excuse me,” “sorry,” or even “thanks” depending on context.
🇯🇵 In Japan: In Japanese pharmacies, starting with [すみません] is the standard polite opener before asking for help.
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]
(part of) "-masen" polite negative ending
This is part of すみません. On its own it’s not used as a separate word here; together it makes the polite expression.
すみません、ちょっといいですか。
Excuse me, do you have a moment?
ん
n
[n]
(part of) "sumimasen" ending
Final sound in すみません. It completes the polite phrase; not used alone in this context.
すみません、おなかが痛いです。
Excuse me, my stomach hurts.
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