申し訳ありません

Japanese

Japanese phrasebook
This entry is part of the phrasebook project, which presents criteria for inclusion based on utility, simplicity and commonness.
Kanji in this term
申 訳
もう
Grade: 3 		わけ
Grade: 6
Alternative spelling
申し譯ありません (kyūjitai)

Etymology

From 申し訳 (mōshiwake, “excuse”) +‎ ありません (arimasen, “polite negative of ある”). Can be interpreted literally as "I have no excuse".

Pronunciation

  • (Tokyo) もーしわけありません [mòóshíwáké árímáséꜜǹ] (Nakadaka – [9])
  • IPA(key): [mo̞ːɕiβ̞a̠ke̞ a̠ɾʲima̠sẽ̞ɴ]

Interjection

申(もう)し訳(わけ)ありません • (mōshiwake arimasen) 

  1. I'm sincerely sorry; please forgive me.
    大変(たいへん)申(もう)し訳(わけ)ございませんでした。
    Taihen mōshiwake gozaimasen deshita.
    I am sincerely sorry.

Usage notes

  • This expression is very polite and not used in casual conversations in which ごめん (gomen) or ごめんなさい (gomennasai) suffice.

See also

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