申し訳ない
もうしわけない
i-adjective
sorry; inexcusable; I apologize
Conjugation
| Affirmative | Negative | |
|---|---|---|
| Present | 申し訳ない | 申し訳なくない |
| Past | 申し訳なかった | 申し訳なくなかった |
| て form | 申し訳なくて | 申し訳なくなくて |
| Adverbial | 申し訳なく | — |
| Conditional ば | 申し訳なければ | 申し訳なくなければ |
| Conditional たら | 申し訳なかったら | 申し訳なくなかったら |
1.
sorry; I apologize; inexcusable
A formal expression of apology that literally means 'there is no excuse.' Used to convey sincere remorse or regret for causing inconvenience or trouble to someone.
申し訳ないです。
I'm sorry.
ご迷惑をおかけして申し訳ありません。
I'm sorry for the inconvenience.
遅れてしまい、本当に申し訳なく思っております。
I am truly sorry for being late.
One of the most important apologetic expressions in Japanese, more formal than すみません and much more formal than ごめん. Literally means "there is no excuse" — the speaker acknowledges there is nothing they can say to justify what happened.
COMMON FORMS:
- 申し訳ない: plain form (casual)
- 申し訳ないです: polite form
- 申し訳ありません: formal polite
- 申し訳ございません: very formal/humble (business, customer service)
- 申し訳なく思う: to feel sorry
COMMON PATTERNS:
- ～して申し訳ない: sorry for doing ~
- ～で申し訳ない: sorry about ~
SIMILAR WORDS:
- すみません: general-purpose apology, lighter and more versatile
- ごめんなさい: casual apology to someone of equal or lower status
- 恐れ入ります: humble expression closer to "I'm afraid" or "excuse me" than a direct apology
USAGE:
Also written 申し訳ない as one compound. Often used in business settings and customer service. Can also be used as a set phrase when declining something: 申し訳ありませんが... (I'm sorry, but...).