माफ़ कीजिए
māf kījiepolite, everyday
Excuse me in Hindi is माफ़ कीजिए (māf kījie). To get someone's attention you can say सुनिए (sunie), "please listen", and the formal choice is क्षमा कीजिए (kṣamā kījie).
Meaning: polite phrase to get attention or apologize (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Indian | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| माफ़ कीजिए | māf kījie | polite, everyday |
| क्षमा कीजिए | kṣamā kījie | formal |
| सुनिए | sunie | to get attention |
माफ़ कीजिए is used when you bump into someone, interrupt or ask for a small favor. When you need to get past someone, you can say ज़रा रास्ता दीजिए (zarā rāstā dījie), "please give me a little way".
What mistakes should you avoid?
For a friend the short सॉरी (sorī) or माफ़ करना (māf karnā) is enough, and माफ़ कीजिए would sound very careful.
Did you know?
- माफ़ (māf) comes from Arabic through Persian and Urdu, while क्षमा (kṣamā) comes from Sanskrit, and both are used in daily Hindi.
Examples in context
- सुनिए, यह सीट खाली है क्या?sunie, yah sīṭ khālī hai kyā?Excuse me, is this seat free?
Example conversation
A tourist asks a passerby for directions.
- Touristमाफ़ कीजिए, स्टेशन कहाँ है?māf kījie, sṭeśan kahāṁ hai?Excuse me, where is the station?
- Passerbyसीधे जाइए, फिर बाएँ मुड़ जाइए।sīdhe jāie, phir bāeṁ muṛ jāie.Go straight, then turn left.
- Touristबहुत धन्यवाद।bahut dhanyavād.Thank you very much.
