I borrowed a set of manga comics from my Japanese friend but unfortunately, I accidentally spilt coffee over one of the books. He said it was okay but I felt terrible as it was a limited edition series. How do I say “sorry” to him in Japanese?
Answer by Japanese teacher
(1)本当(ほんとう)にごめん。
(Masculine speech)
Hontooni gomen.
I’m really sorry.
(2) 本当(ほんとう)にごめんね。(Feminine speech)
Hontooni gomen ne.
I’m really sorry.
Explanation
It is indeed an unfortunate accident. When we want to say sorry, we usually say “sumimasen”.
However, since you are friends, you can use the more casual version “gomen”. “Gomen” comes from “ごめんなさい gomennasai” which also means “sorry”.
If you are female, you can add “ne” after the expression for a feminine speech.
If you feel that apologies are not sufficient to express your feelings and you want to ask for forgiveness, please check out our next Q&A on this topic.
Saying sorry is not an easy matter in Japanese. There are many different ways of saying sorry depending on the situation and social status of the person you are saying sorry to. This article attempts to summarize four common ways of saying sorry, ranked in ascending order from casual to serious apology. They are gomennasai, sumimasen, shitsureeshimashita, and mooshiwakearimasen.
