Sumimasen

This revision is from 2026/06/09 12:52. You can Restore it.

The average Japanese person says one word about 40 times a day. https://x.com/japan_nobunaga/status/2064014348901859435

Sumimasen.

It is usually translated as "excuse me" or "I'm sorry." Both translations are wrong, or rather, both are correct only a third of the time.

Sumimasen is the word you use to call a waiter.

Sumimasen is the word you use to thank a stranger who held the door.

Sumimasen is the word you use when you bump into someone on a train.

Sumimasen is the word you use to interrupt your boss to ask a question.

Sumimasen is the word you use to apologize for crying at a funeral.

The literal meaning of sumimasen is closer to "this is unresolved between us."