Suimasen and Sumimasen: Japanese phrases for apologizing, explained

What does “suimasen” and “sumimasen” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers use “suimasen” or “sumimasen” to say “sorry”, “excuse me”, or such in Japanese. So, these two are Japanese phrases for apologizing. Probably, many Japanese learners know them well because native speakers use them quite often in conversations. In this blog post, however, I will explain them in detail based on the grammatical background. And also, I will explain which we should use depending on the situation. My explanations would help Japanese learners to use the Japanese phrases for apologizing more confidently. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meanings of “suimasen”
• Definition and meanings of “sumimasen”
• Kanji expression and breakdown of “sumimasen”
• Which to use: suimasen vs sumimasen
  • Example: how to use “sumimasen”
• Summary

Definition and meanings of “suimasen”

Let me start with the definition and meanings of “suimasen”.

• suimasen – すいません : a Japanese phrase for apologizing meaning ‘sorry’, ‘excuse me’, or such in Japanese.

Native speakers tend to use this one in casual and daily situations. To tell the truth, however, this is the colloquial version of the other one, “sumimasen”. In formal situations, therefore, we should not use this less-formal version.

Next, let me explain “sumimasen” as follows.

Definition and meanings of “sumimasen”

The definition and meanings of “sumimasen” are basically the same as those of the colloquial version. So:

• sumimasen – すみません : a Japanese phrase for apologizing meaning ‘sorry’, ‘excuse me’, or such in Japanese.

Native speakers use this one in more formal situations because this has the grammatically correct pronunciation; the consonant “m” has not been omitted. Normally this is written in hiragana, but can be written in kanji as well. The kanji expression helps us a lot to understand what “sumimasen” originally meant. So, let me explain it with the grammatical components.

Kanji expression and breakdown of “sumimasen”

Below is the kanji expression of “sumimasen”.

• 済みません : the original kanji expression of “sumimasen”, but rarely used today.

This kanji mixed phrase consists of the following three parts:

• 済み : one conjugation of the verb, “sumu”, which means ‘to finish’, ‘to be finished’, ‘to get done’, or such in Japanese. In the phrase, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• ませ : one conjugation of the auxiliary verb, “masu”, which is used after a verb to make it polite. Probably, it is well known as a part of Japanese desu form. In the phrase, this is used after “sumu” to make it sound polite.
• ん : one conjugation of the old auxiliary verb, “nu”, which is used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to deny its meaning. In the phrase, this is used after “sumi mase” to deny its meaning.

From these three components, we can understand that “sumimasen” is literally the polite phrase meaning ‘not to be finished’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation doesn’t seem to be in line with the actual meanings for apologizing. Japanese people in the past, however, used the phrase to say “this phrase is not sufficient to finish what I’ve done”. This concept is close to those of the English phrases like “saying sorry is not enough”, I think.

Which to use: suimasen vs sumimasen

So far, I’ve explained the definitions and meanings of “suimasen” and “sumimasen” in detail. Next, let me explain which we should use. Again, but “suimasen” is the colloquial version which lack the consonant “m”. So, in formal situations, we should use the official version, “sumimasen”. In casual and daily situations, however, just saying “suimasen” is very acceptable and understandable. We should pick either one depending on the situation.

Example: how to use “sumimasen”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kaigi – 会議 (かいぎ) : a noun meaning ‘meeting’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
• ni – に : a case particle used to say which object an action is directed to. In the example, this is used after “kaigi” to indicate the object to which the action, “okureru”, is directed.
• okure – 遅れる (おくれる) : one conjugation of the verb, “okureru”, which means ‘to be late’ or ‘to get late’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• te – て : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its te form. In the Japanese language, te forms of words have some important roles. One of them is make a cause-and-effect structure in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “okure” to make its te form and to make the cause-and-effect structure in the sentence. Being late to the meeting is the reason the speaker is using the apologizing phrase.

This is a typical usage of “sumimasen”. Meetings are more or less formal, so we need to use the formal one to express our apologies in a formal way.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definitions and meanings of “suimasen” and “sumimasen” in detail based on the grammatical background. And also, I’ve explained which we should use. Let me summarize them as follows.

• suimasen – すいません : a Japanese phrase for apologizing meaning ‘sorry’, ‘excuse me’, or such in Japanese. This is the colloquial version of “sumimasen”, so we should not use this in formal situations. In casual and daily situations, however, just saying “suimasen” is very acceptable and understandable.
• sumimasen – すみません : a Japanese phrase for apologizing meaning ‘sorry’, ‘excuse me’, or such in Japanese. This is literally the polite phrase meaning ‘not to be finished’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation doesn’t seem to be in line with the actual meanings for apologizing. Japanese people in the past, however, used this phrase to say “this phrase is not sufficient to finish what I’ve done”. This concept is close to those of the English phrases like “saying sorry is not enough”. In formal situations, we should use this official pronunciation.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.