申し訳ありません

Japanese edit

Kanji in this term
もう
Grade: 3
わけ
Grade: 6
Alternative spelling
申し譯ありません (kyūjitai)

Etymology edit

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 edit

  • IPA(key): [mo̞ːɕiɰᵝa̠ke̞ a̠ɾʲima̠sẽ̞ɴ]

Interjection edit

(もう)(わけ)ありません (mōshiwake arimasen

  1. I'm sincerely sorry; please forgive me.

Usage notes edit

  • 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 edit