How to Say ‘Excuse me.’ in Japanese
すみません。
sumi mase n
[sue-mee mah-seh n]
💬 Usage Tip: [すみません] is the go-to phrase to get staff attention politely. It can mean "excuse me," "sorry," or even "thank you" depending on context—super useful.
🇯🇵 In Japan: In a Japanese convenience store, saying [すみません] before your question sounds friendly and polite, not bothersome.
Phrase Breakdown
すみ
sumi
[sue-mee]
excuse me
Used to politely get someone's attention or to say sorry lightly.
すみません、とみせいんにこえをかけます。
You say, “Excuse me,” to get the store clerk's attention.
ませ
mase
[mah-seh]
polite continuation part of すみません
This is the middle part of すみません and is not usually used alone.
すみません、がていねいないいかたです。
Sumimasen is a polite way of speaking.
ん
n
[n]
final n sound
This is the ending sound in すみません and is not used by itself here.
すみません、のさいごにんがはいります。
The final n sound comes at the end of sumimasen.
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