すみません vs ごめんなさい vs 申し訳ありません sumimasen · gomen nasai · moushiwake arimasen
すみません can mean “excuse me,” “sorry,” or “thank you”; ごめんなさい apologizes, and 申し訳ありません is a more formal apology. Use すみません to get attention or acknowledge an inconvenience, including a favor. ごめんなさい is common in personal apologies; 申し訳ありません suits more formal situations, including work.
すみません — excuse me, sorry, thank you · ごめんなさい — sorry; often used in personal situations · 申し訳ありません — a formal apology
Sentences
6 sentences, word by word
すみません · getting attention
polite
、。
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すみません
すみません
excuse me
set expression · flagging that you are about to impose on a stranger
すみませんN4excuse me · sorry · thanks
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この
この
this
demonstrative · the train you are both standing next to
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電車
でんしゃ ［0］
train
noun · an electric train, the everyday word
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は
は
as for — the topic
particle · written は, read わ
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東京
とうきょう ［0］
Tokyo
place name · the destination being asked about
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に
に
to; at; into
particle · a point something reaches — a place, a time, a person, or a state
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行きます
いきます
does it go
polite of 行く · a question, marked only by か
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か
か
(question)
particle · turning the statement into a question
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Excuse me, does this train go to Tokyo?
すみません · thanking someone for the trouble
polite
、。
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わざわざ
わざわざ ［1］
all this way; specially
adverb · trouble taken on purpose, which is what すみません marks
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来て
きて
coming
て-form of 来る · the act being thanked for
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いただいて
いただいて
receiving (humble)
humble て-form of いただく · you received their coming, lowering yourself
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すみません
すみません
thank you
set expression · their trouble is a debt you have not repaid, so it is thanks
すみませんN4thank you · sorry
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Thank you for coming all this way.
ごめんなさい · at home
polite
、。
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ごめんなさい
ごめんなさい
I'm sorry
set expression · asking to be forgiven, so it needs a relationship
ごめんなさいN4sorry — asking forgiveness
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コップ
コップ
cup
noun · the thing broken, marked を as the object
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を
を
marks the direct object
particle · pronounced お
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割って
わって
broke
て-form of 割る · transitive, so the breaking was yours
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しまいました
しまいました
(regrettably)
polite past of しまう · marking the act as done and regretted
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Sorry — I broke your cup.
申し訳ありません · the fault is yours at work
polite
。。
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申し訳
もうしわけ ［0］
excuse; justification
noun · 申し to say ＋ 訳 reason — the excuse you might have offered
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ありません
ありません
there is none
polite negative of ある · you have no excuse to give
申し訳ありませんN4I have no excuse
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全て
すべて ［1］
entirely
adverb · the whole of the fault, with none left over
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私
わたし ［0］
my
pronoun · claiming the fault explicitly, which the apology requires
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の
の
links noun to noun
particle · A の B = B belonging to A
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ミス
ミス
mistake
noun · loanword, standard in business Japanese for an error
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です
です
(polite ending)
copula · stating the fault plainly rather than softening it
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I'm very sorry. It was entirely my mistake.
申し訳ございません · service Japanese
polite
、。
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申し訳
もうしわけ ［0］
excuse
noun · the same 申し訳, raised by ございません
申し訳ございませんN4we are very sorry
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ございません
ございません
there is none (formal)
formal negative of ある · the service-Japanese register
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品切れ
しなぎれ ［0］
out of stock
noun · 品 goods ＋ 切れ running out
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で
で
(part of でございます)
continuative of だ · with ございます it forms the formal です, not a link
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ございます
ございます
(formal)
formal copula · matching the register of the apology
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We're very sorry. The item is out of stock.
ごめん · casual, between friends
plain
、。
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ごめん
ごめん
sorry
clipped ごめんなさい · friends and family only
ごめんN4sorry (casual)
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ちょっと
ちょっと ［1］
a bit
adverb · softening the lateness, as it softens most bad news
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遅れる
おくれる ［0］
will be late
ichidan verb · intransitive, so the lateness happens to you
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Sorry, I'm going to be a bit late.
Forms
Where each one goes
すみません＋が / でした
Getting attention, squeezing past, or thanking someone for going out of their way. The common thread is that they were put out.
ごめん＋なさい / ね
Between people close enough to forgive each other. ごめん alone is casual; ごめんね softens it further.
申し訳＋ありません / ございません
Work, customers, or formal writing. 申し訳ございません is the more formal of the two and is standard in service Japanese.
すみません→すみませんでした
The past form apologises for something already done. The present form is for an imposition happening now.
Meaning
Why すみません also means thank you
It marks an imposition, not a fault. The root is 済む — to be settled. すみません says this is not settled between us: you have gone to trouble on my account and I have not repaid it. That works whether the trouble was a favour or a nuisance, which is why the same word covers “sorry”, “excuse me” and “thank you for going out of your way.”
ごめんなさい asks for something.ご免 is a pardon, and なさい is a command — you are asking to be excused. That phrasing is common in personal apologies. In customer service, a more formal apology is often preferred.
申し訳ありません gives up the defence. A 申し訳 is an excuse or justification, and you are saying there is none. That is why it is the formal choice when the fault really is yours, and why it sounds absurd for squeezing past someone on a train.
Strength is not the axis. A sincere ごめんなさい from a friend can carry far more than a recited 申し訳ございません. Choose on the relationship and on whose fault it was, not on how bad you feel.
Watch out
Where these go wrong
ごめんなさい at work
It asks to be forgiven, which assumes a relationship close enough to grant it. To a manager or a customer it reads as childish. Use 申し訳ありません.
すみません when the fault is clearly yours
For a real mistake at work すみません is too light — it marks an imposition, not a fault. The apology that admits fault is 申し訳ありません.
申し訳ありません for squeezing past someone
You are declaring you have no excuse for existing in a corridor. すみません is the phrase for getting past, getting attention, and every other small imposition.
Writing すいません
すいません is how the word is usually pronounced and is fine in speech. In writing, and in anything formal, すみません is the form to use.
Also asked
Questions people ask about these three
Why does すみません mean thank you?
It marks an unsettled debt — from 済む, to be settled. Someone went to trouble for you and you have not repaid it. Whether that trouble was a favour or a nuisance does not change the acknowledgement.
Is 申し訳ございません more polite than 申し訳ありません?
Yes, and it is the standard in service and customer-facing Japanese. Both are formal; ございません is the one you will hear from staff and read in company notices.
Can I just use すみません for everything?
It will carry most daily situations, and it will undersell a real apology at work. The gap that gets noticed is using it where 申し訳ありません was expected.
What about 恐れ入ります?
Not an apology — a formal acknowledgement of trouble taken on your behalf, common in business and service speech. It is closest to the “thank you” sense of すみません, not the “sorry” one.
