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How to Say ‘Really sorry’ in Traditional Chinese

真不好意思

zhēn bù hǎo yì sī

[jen boo how ee suh]

🇹🇼 In Taiwan: [真不好意思] is a very Taiwan-friendly way to sound apologetic and soft, even when you're about to raise a problem. It helps keep the interaction cooperative instead of confrontational.

Phrase Breakdown

zhēn

[jen]

really

Adds stronger sincerity or emphasis to the apology.

Example

真不好意思,今天讓你麻煩了。

I'm really sorry to trouble you today.

不好意思

bù hǎo yì sī

[boo how ee suh]

excuse me; sorry

A very common polite apology or attention-getting phrase.

Example

真不好意思,我以為這裡可以刷卡。

I'm really sorry; I thought card payment was accepted here.

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