Many foreigners might notice that ‘sumimasen’ means ‘sorry’, in fact, the expression has several meanings depending on different situations. Why always apologizing? "Sumimasen" is a little more formal than "Gomennasai." 'gomen' is more like sorry I actually did something bad I regret. Both "Gomennasai" and "Sumimasen" are used when you have made a mistake or inconvenienced someone.
You’d use sumimasen in most cases. Hence, Japanese beginners may find it confusing about the usage of the word. Sumimasen also doubles as 'excuse me,' I feel like it gets used more for bumping into someone inadvertently. When you would like to call a waiter/waitress to take your order, say ‘sumimasen.’ When you would like to ask for direction, say ‘sumimasen.’It is also very useful when you are stuck in traffic or crowds. Japanese are known to be especially courteous. While ‘sumimasen’ means someone only wants to … This is the way to apologize to your boss.Gomensai is another common way to apologize. Namiko Abe is a Japanese language teacher and translator, as well as a Japanese calligraphy expert. Originally Answered: How can I know when to use "gomenasai" versus "sumimasen"? Copyright © 2016-2020 LikeJapan (Hong Kong) Limited. It is a polite and nice opening when you want to request or ask something. The many uses of “sumimasen” in different situationsJapanese people love using the the word ‘sumimasen（すみません）.’ It is certainly one of the most famous Japanese words that even if you don’t know Japanese, you might have heard of it somewhere else.
All rights reserved. However, it's used to apologize to someone you with whom you have a … Let's say you get caught skipping work to go fishing. Therefore, they are used to saying sorry whenever a conflict happened, no matter whoever started the small fire. "Sumimasen" is also used when expressing a feeling of gratitude, but "Gomennasai" cannot be used in such situations.For the most part, it comes down to a matter of personal preference whether to use either "Sumimasen （すみません）" or "Gomennasai （ごめんなさい）", but there are a few subtleties to be aware of.
While ‘sumimasen’ means someone only wants to express their feelings but no need to ask for a return. If you bumped into someone at a busy train station, they will always quickly say ‘sumimasen’ to the person who got hit.You will probably hear ” mostly at a restaurant or a bar. If you want to get off over-crowded trains or elevators during rush hours, say ‘sumimasen.’ If you want to leave a band show to the bathroom, say ‘sumimasen’ (or shout).In the Japanese language, it is common to say sorry when English speakers would say thank you. Besides,‘gomennasai’ is also used to apologize to someone you have a close relationship with, like your family and partners. However, Japanese people say ‘sumimasen’ more often as it combined both apology and gratitude, which basically interpreted as “I am sorry to trouble you and I thank you for that.” You can also use them both by saying ‘sumimasen, doumo arigatou gozai gozaimashita’ to someone older or someone you respect. Sumimasen is basically the equivalent of ‘excuse me’. ‘Gomenasai’ is another common way to say sorry. If you use it on your boss, it may be considered as rude.It is totally fine to say ‘arigatou’ when someone returns a lost wallet to you, or help you to open the elevator door.
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sumimasen vs gomenasai