Dictionary / Japanese / Sorry
How to Say "Sorry" in Japanese
ごめんなさい
gomen nasai
Literally: Please forgive me
Polite or casual
Politeすみません / 申し訳ありません
Casualごめん
ごめん is for friends. ごめんなさい is warm and personal, used with family or when you have upset someone close to you. With strangers and at work, use すみません, and for a serious apology to a customer or a manager, 申し訳ありません (mōshiwake arimasen).
The mistake to avoid. ごめんなさい is usually the first "sorry" learners meet, so they use it everywhere. Said to a customer or a manager, it can sound too personal, even childlike. At work, すみません or 申し訳ありません is what people expect.
In context
遅れてごめん。
Okurete gomen.
Sorry I'm late. (casual)
ごめんなさい、忘れていました。
Gomen nasai, wasurete imashita.
I'm sorry, I forgot.
大変申し訳ありません。
Taihen mōshiwake arimasen.
I am very sorry. (formal)