What does it mean word for word?
The root ごめん comes from a word meaning "forgiveness" or "pardon".
Which one should you use?
While ごめんなさい is a direct apology for a mistake, すみません is more versatile and can be used to mean "excuse me" or to express gratitude for someone's trouble. Additionally, ごめん is a more casual way to say "I am sorry" than ごめんなさい.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
ごめん is a casual way to say "I am sorry", especially among friends. ごめんなさい is a more formal version of ごめん used for apologizing to acquaintances or in more serious situations. For more formal or polite situations, you can use すみません, which can mean "excuse me" or "I'm sorry". If you need to express a deeper sense of regret in a formal way, use 申し訳ありません. For a highly formal version suitable for business or when apologizing to a superior, use 申し訳ございません.
How does it change in a sentence?
Dropping the nasai suffix makes the apology informal and suitable for friends or family.
How do you pronounce it?
gomennasai
Did you know?
- The phrase ごめんなさい is actually an imperative command. It literally tells the other person to 'grant' or 'give' the speaker forgiveness.
- In Japanese culture, an apology is often less about the person's intent and more about the fact that an inconvenience was caused to the social harmony.
- Because ごめんなさい is quite personal, using it in a professional business setting can actually make you appear less reliable or too casual.
Examples in context
- ごめんなさい。私のせいです。I am sorry, It's all my fault.This sentence shows how to use ごめんなさい to take responsibility for a mistake.Tatoeba #219058 by tommy__san, translation #6486212 by WizardGed
- 遅れてごめんなさい。Okurete gomen nasai.I am sorry for being late.
Example conversation
陽葵 accidentally broke 陽太's favorite mug.
- 陽葵 Himariあ、割っちゃった。ごめんなさい！A, watchatta. Gomen nasai!Ah, I broke it. I am sorry!
- 陽太 Yota大丈夫だよ。気にしないで。Daijoubu da yo. Ki ni shinaide.It's okay. Don't worry about it.
- 陽葵 Himari新しいの、買ってあげるね。Atarashii no, katte ageru ne.I will buy you a new one.
- 陽太 Yota本当に？ありがとう、陽葵。Hontou ni? Arigatou, Himari.Really? Thank you, Himari.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry ごめんなさい, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ごめんなさい, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
