对不起
In Chinese, 对不起 is the way to say I am sorry.
对不起 is the standard and most common way to express a sincere apology for a mistake or a wrong committed.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 对不起 literally means 'to be unable to face someone'. Here, 对 means 'to face/towards' and 不起 means 'cannot/unable to'.
Which one should you use?
While 对不起 is used for more serious apologies or admitting a fault, 不好意思 is used for minor inconveniences, social awkwardness or to say 'excuse me'.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Cantonese, 對唔住 is the equivalent to I am sorry and can be used in formal or informal situations. Similarly, 唔好意思 is a way to apologize in Cantonese, much like 不好意思 in Mandarin.
Did you know?
- When someone says 对不起, a common response is 没关系, which literally means 'it has no relation' or 'it is not connected'.
- The phrase 对不起 carries a heavy weight of social shame, as the literal sense of being 'unable to face' someone implies you have lost the moral right to look them in the eye.
- In professional settings, a superior may rarely use 对不起 to a subordinate, instead using phrases that acknowledge the situation without admitting a personal fault.
Examples in context
- 对不起，是我辜负你了。I am sorry for disappointing you.This example shows how to use 对不起 to apologize for disappointing someone.Tatoeba #2919635 by evkon, translation #7830339 by sharris123
- 对不起，我们无法满足您的要求。I am sorry, we are unable to satisfy your demand.This example shows how to use 对不起 when unable to satisfy a demand.Tatoeba #2440612 by fenfang557, translation #7815454 by sharris123
- 对不起，我迟到了。I am sorry, I am late.
- 请原谅我的过失。Please forgive my mistake.
- 不好意思，我弄错了。I am sorry, I made a mistake.
- 对不起啦，我忘记买牛奶了。Sorry, I forgot to buy milk.
- 抱歉了，我今天有事不能参加聚会了。Sorry, I have something today and cannot attend the gathering.
- 不好意思啊，我弄翻了你的咖啡。Sorry, I spilled your coffee.
Example conversation
Yuting accidentally bumped into Junjie.
- 雨婷 Yuting对不起，我没看到你。Duìbùqǐ, wǒ méi kàndào nǐ.I am sorry, I didn't see you.
- 俊杰 Junjie没关系，我不小心。Méiguānxì, wǒ bù xiǎoxīn.It's okay, I wasn't careful.
- 雨婷 Yuting你没事吧，俊杰？Nǐ méishì ba, Jùnjié?Are you okay, Junjie?
- 俊杰 Junjie我没事，谢谢你。Wǒ méishì, xièxiè nǐ.I'm fine, thank you.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
