ごめん
The English phrase "sorry to a friend" is translated into Japanese as ごめん.
ごめん is an informal way to say sorry and is suitable for use with friends and family. In casual speech, it is often used as a standalone exclamation to apologize for a late arrival or a small mistake.
Which one should you use?
While ごめん is casual, ごめんなさい is a more polite and standard version of the apology. ごめん is a shortened version of ごめんなさい and is suitable for casual apologies between friends.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Among friends, the form ごめんなさい might appear slightly formal, emphasizing a deeper level of remorse.
How does it change in a sentence?
Adding the particle ね to ごめん to make it ごめんね makes the apology sound more conversational and softer when speaking to a friend.
Did you know?
- While ごめん is for friends, if a friend is significantly older or has a higher social status, using it can be perceived as 'tame-guchi' or rude behavior.
- The word ごめん is rooted in the concept of 'pardon' or 'permission', originally referring to a request for the other person to excuse a fault.
- The word ごめん can sometimes be used as a way to start a sentence to change the subject, similar to 'Excuse me, but…' in English.
Examples in context
- Gomen, atarimae no koto daga, watashi wa sunao ni narenakatta. (ごめん、当たり前のことだけど、私は素直になれなかった。)Sorry, it should be obvious, but I couldn't be honest.
- 遅れて、本当にごめん。Okurete, hontou ni gomen.I'm really sorry for being late.
- 忘れ物しちゃって、ごめん！Wasuremono shichatte, gomen!Sorry, I forgot something!
Example conversation
Hina and Hinata are meeting at a cafe, but Hinata arrived late.
- 陽太 Yota待たせて、ごめん！Matasete, gomen!Sorry for making you wait!
- 陽葵 Himari大丈夫、私も今来たところだよ。Daijoubu, watashi mo ima kita tokoro da yo.It's okay, I just got here too.
- 陽太 Yota本当にごめんね、次は気を付けるよ。Hontou ni gomen ne, tsugi wa ki o tsukeru yo.I'm really sorry, I'll be careful next time.
- 陽葵 Himari気にしないで、座って座って。Ki ni shinai de, suwatte suwatte.Don't worry about it, sit down, sit down.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry ごめん, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
