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

• 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

• すみません (sumimasen)
• ごめんなさい (gomennasai)
• ごめん (gomen)