What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally means 'there is no excuse (for my actions) at all'.
Which one should you use?
大変申し訳ありません is much more formal and serious than sumimasen or gomen nasai, which are used for minor inconveniences or with friends.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
大変申し訳ありません is a formal phrase. In extremely formal business or professional settings, you can use the even more polite and humble version 大変申し訳ございません, which replaces arimasen with gozaimasen. For informal situations among friends, you might use ごめん、本当に to mean 'I'm sorry, really'.
How does it change in a sentence?
To apologize for a mistake that has already occurred in the past, use the past tense form 大変申し訳ありませんでした instead of 大変申し訳ありません.
How do you pronounce it?
taihen mōshiwake arimasen
When do people say it?
Bowing is an integral part of Japanese culture used to show respect and sincerity when delivering an apology.
Did you know?
- In high-stakes corporate apologies, a person may perform dogeza, which involves kneeling and bowing so low that their forehead touches the floor. This is the ultimate physical manifestation of 大変申し訳ありません.
- In Japanese business culture, an apology like 大変申し訳ありません is often used as a social lubricant to maintain harmony, even if the speaker is not personally responsible for the error.
- The term 大変 is commonly used to mean 'very', but its original meaning is 'great change' or 'serious emergency'. Using it in an apology signals that the situation is a crisis.
Examples in context
- 大変申し訳ありません。I'm very sorry.Tatoeba #137257 by bunbuku, translation #275979 by CK
- 遅れてしまい、大変申し訳ありませんでした。I'm very sorry for being late.Tatoeba #10908956 by small_snow, translation #4297057 by AlanF_US
- 田中さん、大変申し訳ありません。私の遅刻のため、皆さんにご迷惑をおかけしました。Mr./Ms. Tanaka, I am deeply sorry. I caused inconvenience to everyone due to my lateness.
- 太郎、ごめん、本当に。約束を忘れてしまったよ。Taro, I'm sorry, really. I completely forgot about the promise.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ren apologizes to Yui for losing a valuable client document.
- 蓮 Ren大切な書類を紛失してしまい、大変申し訳ありません。Taisetsu na shorui o funshitsu shite shimai, taihen moushiwake arimasen.I am very sorry for losing the important document.
- 結衣 Yuiそれは困りますね。すぐに探してください。Sore wa komarimasu ne. Sugu ni sagashite kudasai.That is a problem. Please look for it immediately.
- 蓮 Renはい、すぐに全力で探します。Hai, sugu ni zenryoku de sagashimasu.Yes, I will look for it with all my effort right away.
- 結衣 Yui結果を待っています。Kekka o matte imasu.I am waiting for the results.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
