すみません
すみません
hepburn sumimasen
excuse me, sorry
Part of speech · expression
Pattern visualization
no decomposition available
Examples
- すみません、駅はどこですか。Excuse me, where is the station?
- 遅れてすみません。I'm sorry for being late.
Collocations
すみません、~ (calling out)遅れてすみませんすみませんでした (past apology)どうもすみませんすみません (= thanks)
Mnemonic
すみません sumimasen — three uses in ONE word: ① apology ("I'm sorry") ② attention-getter ("excuse me") ③ thanks ("sorry for the trouble", used like "thank you" for received favors). Unique to Japanese — same word covers all three contexts. The single most-confused word for learners.
Quick check
What is the most natural way to call a restaurant server?