How to Say ‘Sorry to bother you.’ in Traditional Chinese
不好意思，打擾一下。
bù hǎo yì sī dǎ rǎo yī xià
[boo how-ee-suh dah-rao ee-shyah]
💬 Usage Tip: Adding 一下 after an action softens it to "just a moment", so you're asking for only a tiny bit of their time. It works with other actions too: 等一下 "wait a sec", 看一下 "take a quick look".
🇹🇼 In Taiwan: This is the standard polite way to open a conversation with a stranger in Taiwan. Leading with it makes approaching someone at a bar feel courteous rather than pushy.
Phrase Breakdown
不好意思，
bù hǎo yì sī
excuse me / sorry
不好意思 (bù hǎoyìsi) is a very common polite phrase in Taiwan. It means 'excuse me' or 'sorry'. 思 is light.
不好意思，我遲到了。
Sorry, I'm late.
Words in this phrase
不好意思
bù hǎo yì sī
[boo how-ee-suh]
excuse me; sorry to bother you
A polite way to get a stranger’s attention before giving a compliment.
不好意思，我可以說一句嗎？
Excuse me, may I say something?
打擾一下。
dǎ rǎo yī xià
may I bother you for a moment
打擾 (dǎrǎo) means 'to disturb'. 一下 (yíxià) means 'a moment'. Here 一 changes to a rising tone before the fourth tone 下.
老師，打擾一下。
Teacher, sorry to bother you for a moment.
Words in this phrase
打擾
dǎ rǎo
[dah-rao]
to bother; to disturb; to trouble someone politely
A polite word often used when visiting someone, asking for help, or interrupting. In Taiwan, it is commonly said to show courtesy.
今天來打擾您了，真不好意思。
I’ve come to bother you today; I’m really sorry about that.
一下
yī xià
[ee-shyah]
a bit; briefly
一下 softens an action and often means 'for a moment' or 'a little bit.'
我想跟你確認一下時間。
I want to confirm the time with you briefly.
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