How to say sorry or the equivalent in many different languages. Note that the usage of this word various from language to language and culture to culture. In the UK, for example, people say sorry a lot, even when someone else is at fault.
Click on any of the phrases that are links to hear them spoken. If you can provide recordings, corrections or additional translations, please contact me.
To see more phrases in each language click on the language names. If you'd like to see these phrases in any combination of two languages, try the Phrase Finder.
| Language | Sorry |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | Jammer! |
| Albanian (Gheg) | M'fal! |
| Albanian (Tosk) | Më fal! |
| Aleut | Amtal |
| Aklan | Guinakasubo ko |
| Alsatian | Es töt mir leid |
| Altay | Јаманымды таштагар (Ĵamanımdı taštagar) |
| Amharic | አዝናለሁ (azənallähw)- I am sorrowful |
| Arabic (Egyptian) |
m - (aasif) آسف! f - (aasifa) آسف! |
| Arabic (Lebanese) |
Esef (m) Esfe (f) 3afwan |
| Arabic (Modern Standard) |
(āsif!) أسف |
| Arabic (Moroccan) |
(aasif) اسف |
| Aragonese | Perdón Sincusas |
| Armenian (Eastern) |
Ներողությո'ւն: (Neroghutyun) Կներե'ք: (Knerek’) |
| Armenian (Western) |
Ներողութիւն (Neroghootyoon) Կը ներես (Guh neres) inf Կը ներէք: (Guh nerek) frm |
| Assamese | ক্ষমা কৰিব (khyôma kôribô) - frm ক্ষমা কৰিবা (khyôma kôriba) - inf |
| Asturian | Perdón |
| Avar | ТIасалъугьа! (Tʼasałuha) |
| Azerbaijani | Bağışlayın Məni bağışlayın Üzr istəyirəm |
| Balinese | Ampura, ᬅᬫ᭄ᬧᬸᬭ (inf) Ampurayang, ᬅᬫ᭄ᬧᬸᬭᬬᬂ (frm) |
| Bambara | A yafa n ma Hakɛto m'a famu |
| Bashkir | ғәфү үтенәм (ğäfü ütyenäm) |
| Basque | Barkatu |
| Bavarian | Duad ma laid |
| Belarusian | Прабачце (Prabačcie) Выбачайце (Vybačajcie) |
| Bemba | Njeleleniko Mbelelako uluse |
| Bengali | দুঃখিত (Duḥkhitô) মাফ করবেন (Maf kôrben) |
| Bhojpuri | माफ़ करीं (maaf karin) |
| Bikol | Pasensya na tabi |
| Bislama | Sori Mi sori |
| Bosnian | Oprostite |
| Breton | Eskuzit ac'hanon! Digarez! |
| Bulgarian | Съжалявам! (Sãžaljavam) |
| Capiznon | Pasensyahe ako |
| Catalan | Perdó! Em sap greu |
| Cebuano | Ikasubo ko |
| Central Dusun | Siou Siou no Ompunai oku Mokiampun oku |
| Chabacano de Cavite | Perdona me Sorry |
| Chabacano de Zamboanga | Perdona conmigo |
| Chamorro (Guam dialect) |
Dispensa yo' |
| Chamorro (North Marianas dialect) |
Dispensa yu |
| Chechen | Бехк ма билла (Bexk ma billa) |
| Cherokee | ᎤᏲ ᎠᏰᎶᏗ (Uyo ayelodi) |
| Chichewa | Pepani |
| Chinese (Cantonese) |
對唔住 (deuim̀hjyuh) 抱歉 (póuhhip) 疏利 (sòleih) / 唆哩 (sòlì) 疏 (sò) |
| Chinese (Hakka) |
失禮 (siit7li1) 歹勢 (dai-sii5) |
| Chinese (Mandarin) |
對不起
[对不起] (duìbùqǐ) 抱歉 (bàoqiàn) |
| Chinese (Shanghainese) |
对弗起 (dēi fé qì) 勿好意思 (vak hao yi si) |
| Chinese (Taiwanese) |
失禮 (sit-lé) 歹勢 (pháiⁿ-sè) 對不起 (tùi-put-khí) |
| Cimbrian | S tüü-mar ante |
| Chuvash | Кашарӑр (Kašarăr) |
| Coastal Kadazan | Siou Siou no |
| Cornish | Drog yw genev |
| Corsican | Mi dispiace |
| Croatian | Žao mi je Oprostite |
| Cuyonon | Pasinsia! Patawad! |
| Czech | Pardon! Promiň! (inf) Odpusť mi to (inf) Odpusťte mi to (frm) |
| Danish | Undskyld! |
| Dari | (Mahzrat mêxwaham) محذرت ميخواهم |
| Dholuo | Mos (I'm sorry) Mos ahinya (I'm very sorry) |
| Duala | Lakise mba |
| Dutch | Het spijt me! Sorry! |
| Dzongkha | ཙིགཔ་མ་ཟ། (Tsip maza) Gom mathrae |
| Elfdalian | Felåt! |
| Efik | Ìnín |
| Estonian | Vabandust |
| Extremaduran | Perdón! (frm) Disculpi! (frm) Dispensi! (frm) Disculpa! (inf) Dispensa! (frm) |
| Faroese | Tað harmar meg Orsaka |
| Fijian | (Nī) vosota sara (general) (Nī) vosoti au (general) Tulou (when invading space) Jilou (when invading space) |
| Finnish | Anteeksi |
| French | Désolé ! Je suis désolé ! Excusez-moi ! Je m'excuse ! Pardon ! Oh, pardon, excusez-moi ! Je vous demande pardon |
| Frisian (North - Mooring) | Fertrüt me! |
| Frisian (West) | It spyt my; Pardon |
| Friulian | Scuse! Pardon! |
| Galician | Síntoo! |
| Gascon | Escusats-me |
| Georgian | ბოდიში bodishi ვწუხვარ (vts’ukhvar) |
| German | Es tut mir leid! Entschuldigung! Ich bedaure! |
| Greek (Ancient) | Συγγνώμην ἔχε (Syngnōmēn ékhe) |
| Greek (Modern) | Συγνώμη! (Sygnómi) Λυπάμαι! (Lypáme [lit. "I'm saddened"]) - more frm |
| Greenlandic | Utoqqatsissutigaa Patsit Utoqqatserpunga |
| Gujarati | મન્ને મફ કરો (manne maaf karo) |
| Haitian Creole | Dezole! Mwen regret sa! Padon! |
| Hawaiian | E kala mai iaʻu! |
| Hausa | Sannu barka Yi hak'uri |
| Hebrew | (Slicha) סליחה! |
| Hiligaynon | Pasensyaha lang ako |
| Hindi | क्षमा कीजिए (kṣama kījiye) माफ़ कीजिये (māf kījiye) |
| Hmong (White) | Thov txim |
| Hungarian | Bocsánat! |
| Iban | Minta ampun Ampun |
| Icelandic | Því miður Fyrirgefðu Mér þykir það leitt |
| Igbo | Ndo Gbaghara m (Forgive me) Gbaghalụ m (Forgive me) |
| Iloko | Agpakawanak Pakawanennak Dispensar |
| Indonesian | Maafkan saya Maaf |
| Inuktitut | ᐄᑯᓗᒃ (Iikuluk) ᐊᐃᑦᑖ (Aittaaq) ᓂᑲᔪᖅ (Nakujuq) |
| Iñupiaq | Pisaraluarnak Pisanritchikpin Pisaŋŋitkikpiñ Tusaaŋŋisiqtuŋa Pisaaġiŋitkikpiñ (to one person) Pisaaġiŋitkivsik (to two people) Pisaaġiŋitkivsi (to three or more people) |
| Irish (Gaelic) | Gabh mo leithscéal! Tá brón orm! |
| Italian | Scusa! (inf) Scusi! (frm) Mi dispiace |
| Jamaican | Hush |
| Japanese | ごめんなさい! (gomen nasai) |
| Javanese | ꦚꦸꦮꦸꦤ꧀ꦥꦔꦥꦸꦤ꧀ꦠꦼꦤ꧀ (Nyuwun pangapunten) (Kromo Inggil) ꦗꦭꦸꦏ꧀ꦔꦥꦸꦫ (Jaluk ngapurạ) (Ngoko) |
| Jenesch | Pikesch |
| Jèrriais | J'ai r'gret |
| Kabiye | Kaka |
| Kabyle | Suref-iyi ! Sameḥ-iyi ! |
| Kalmyk | Би гемән сурҗанав (Bi gemän surjanav) Бичә му сантн (Bichä mu santn) |
| Kannada | ಕ್ಷಮಿಸಿ! (kshamisi) |
| Kashubian | Przeprôszajã Przeprôszóm |
| Kazakh | Кешіріңіз! (Keşiriñiz!) |
| Khmer | សុំទោស (sŏm toŭs) |
| Khoekhoe (Nama) | ǀÛba te. |
| Kiribati | Kabara au bure |
| Korean | 미안합니다! (mianhamnida) - frm 죄송합니다 (joesonghamnida) - vfrm 미안(해) (mian(hae)) - inf |
| Kumyk | Ярай буса, гечип къоюгъуз (Yaray busa, geçip qoyuğuz) |
| Kurdish (Kurmanji) | Bibure (frm) Mi(n) affu bike Mi(n) bi borîne Bi bexshe(frm) |
| Kurdish (Sorani) | (Bibûre) ببوورە |
| Kven | Antheeksi |
| Kyrgyz | Кечиресиз (Kechiresiz) - sg/frm (for attention) Кечиресиң (Kechiresing) - sg/inf (for attention) Кечириңиз (Kechiringiz) - sg/frm (begging pardon) |
| Ladino | (Lo syento!) לו סיינטו! |
| Lao | ຂໍໂທດ (khãw thôht) |
| Latin | Ignosce mihi! |
| Latvian | Piedodiet! (frm) Piedo! (inf) Atvainojiet! (frm) Atvaino! (inf) |
| Lingala | Nandimi te Bolimbisi Limbisa ngaï |
| Lithuanian | Atsiprašau! Atleiskite! |
| Livvi-Karelian | Minul on žiäli (I'm sorry) Andiekse? (Sorry? Pardon?) Prosti minuu (forgive me - sg) Prostikkua minuu (forgive me - pl) |
| Low Saxon | Deit mi leed |
| Lozi | Ni swalele |
| Luganda | Nsonyiwa |
| Luxembourgish | Pardon |
| Macedonian | Жалам (Zhalam) Жал ми е (Zhal mi e) Извинете (Izvinete) - frm Извини (Izvini) - inf |
| Magahi | माफ करा /maːpʰ kəraː/ |
| Maithili | Badd dukh bhel Badd dukhi bhelau |
| Malagasy | Azafady |
| Malay | Ma'af Minta maaf (asking for forgiveness) Tolong maafkan saya ('please forgive me') |
| Malayalam | ക്ഷമിക്കണം (kshamikkaṇam) |
| Maldivian | (Ma'aaf kurey) މަޢާފް ކުރޭ |
| Maltese | Skużani! Jiddispjaċini! Ahfirli! |
| Manx (Gaelic) | S'doogh lhiam! S'treih lhiam! S'olk lhiam! Gow my leshtal! |
| Māori | Arohaina mai Mō Taku Hē |
| Marathi | माफ करा (māf karā) |
| Marshallese | Jo̧lo̧k bōd Jo̧lo̧k aō bōd |
| Mauritian Creole | Sori |
| Meänkieli | Antheeksi |
| Monégasque | Desulau |
| Mongolian | Уучлаарай (Uuchlaarai) |
| Mossi | Mam sugri Y gafara |
| Nahuatl | Ma xinechtlapohpolhui |
| Navajo | Shoohá |
| Ngoni | Samahani |
| Nogai | Кеширинъиз Афуьв этинъиз |
| Ndebele (Northern - Zimbabwe) | Uxolo |
| Ndebele (Southern) | Ngiyancancabeza |
| Nepali | माफी पाऊँ (māphī pāū̃) |
| Newari / Nepal Bhasa | से सा (se sā) ब्ये (bye) छकः वने ला (chakaḥ vane lā) |
| Niuean | Fakamolemole la |
| Northern Sámi | Ándagassii |
| Northern Sotho | Ntshwarele |
| Norwegian | Unnskyld, Beklager |
| Occitan | Perdon! Desencusa! Desencusatz! |
| Okinawan | 悪さいびーん (wassaibiin) |
| Omaha | Uthúama! |
| Oshiwambo | Ombili |
| Ossetian | Бахатыр кæнут (Baxatyr kænut) |
| Papiamento | Sori |
| Pashto | (zeh mutaasif yum) زه هتاسف يم |
| Pennsylvania German / Dutch | Es dutt mer Leed |
| Persian (Farsi) | (moteassefam) متاسفم! |
| Picard | Pardon Échtchusez-mi |
| Polish | Przepraszam! |
| Portuguese | Desculpe! (frm) Desculpa! (inf) |
| Portuguese (Brazilian) | Me desculpe! (frm) Desculpa! Desculpe-me! Lamento! Sinto muito! Sinto mutíssimo! (I'm so sorry!) Desculpe-me Desculpe Perdoe-me Perdão Mil perdões (I'm sorry! Forgive me) |
| Punjabi | ਖਿਮਾ/ਮਾਫ਼ ਕਰੋ ਜੀ। / معاف کرو جی۔ (kimā/māf karō jī) |
| Quechua | Pampachaykuway |
| Romanian | Pardon! |
| Romansh | I ma displacha |
| Russian | Простите! (Prostite!) - frm Прости! (Prosti!) - inf |
| Rusyn | Прошу (Prošu) - request Будьте добрі (Bud'te dobri) - frm inviting someone to do something Будь добрі (Bud' dobri) - inf inviting someone to do something |
| Sakha | Бырастыы гыныҥ (bɯrastɯɯ gɯnɯŋ) - frm Бырастыы гын (bɯrastɯɯ gɯn) - inf |
| Samoan | Fa'amalie atu |
| Samogitian | Atsėprašau |
| Sango | Mawa Mbi gbu gere ti mo (I grab your foot) Asala ye ape (reply - It is nothing) |
| Sanskrit | कृपया क्षम्यताम् (kṛpayā kṣamyatām) |
| Sardinian (Logudorese) | Mi dispiaghet Mi dispraghet |
| Sauk | Nekâhtothi Kepehchimene (I'm sorry for what I said to you) Kepehchitôtône (I'm sorry for what I did to you) |
| Scottish Gaelic | Gabh mo leisgeul! Tha mi duilich! |
| Scots | Sorry |
| Serbian | Жао ми је (Žao mi je) Опростите (Oprostite) |
| Sesotho | Ntshwarele |
| Shona | Ndineurombo |
| Sicilian | M’â scusari Mi scusassi M’av’a scusari (frm) Scusàtimi (pl) M’avit’a scusari (pl) |
| Sindhi | (Maaf kajo) معاف ڪجو |
| Sinhala | මට සමාවෙන්න (mata samāvenna) කණගාටුයි (kan'agāṭuuyi) |
| Slovak | Pardón! |
| Slovenian | Oprostite (frm) Oprosti (inf) |
| Somali | Waan ka xumahay |
| Sorbian (Lower) | To jo mě luto |
| Sorbian (Upper) | Wodajće prošu (frm) Prošu wodajće (frm) Wodaj (inf) |
| Southern Sámi | Mannem åånedem |
| Spanish | ¡Perdón! ¡Perdone! ¡Lo siento! |
| Sundanese | Hapunten Hatur nuhun |
| Swahili | Samahani |
| Swazi | Ngiyacolisa Ncesi |
| Swedish | Förlåt! |
| Swiss German | Es duet mr leid |
| Tagalog | Patawad! Pasensya na |
| Tajik | Мебахшед (Mebaxšed) |
| Tamil (formal) | என்னை மன்னிக்க வேண்டும் (ennai manniththu vidungal) [ml] [fm] |
| Tamil (informal) | என்ன மன்னிச்சிடுங்க (enna maniichudunga) [fm] |
| Tatar | Ğafu ütínem |
| Telugu | మా క్షమాపణలు (maa kshamaapanalu) |
| Tetum | Deskulpa! |
| Thai | ขอโทษ (kŏr tôht) |
| Tibetan | ཀོང་དགས་། (gong-da) |
| Tigrinya | ይቅሬታ! (Yiqreta!) |
| Tokelauan | Fakamolemole |
| Tok Pisin | Mi sori Mi sori tumas |
| Tongan | Fakamolemole |
| Tsonga | Ndzi kombela ku khomeriwa |
| Tsotsil | Perton |
| Tswana | Ke kopa tshwarelo |
| Tumbuka | Phepani Phepani chomene (very sorry) |
| Turkish | Pardon (inf) Özür dilerim (frm) |
| Tuvaluan | Fakamolemole, au kō 'sē! |
| Twi | Kosɛ Kafra |
| Udmurt | Вождэс эн вае (Voždes en vae) |
| Ukrainian | Вибачте! (Vybačte) |
| Urdu | (maf karna) معاف کرنا |
| Uyghur | (Kächürüng) كەچۈرۈڭ |
| Uzbek | Afu eting |
| Venda | Ndi khou humbela pfarelo |
| Venetian | El me scuxa Scuxéme (pl) |
| Veps | Prostigat |
| Vietnamese | Xin lỗi |
| Võro | Andis |
| Walloon | Pârdon |
| Welsh | Mae'n ddrwg 'da fi (SW) Mae'n ddrwg gen i (NW) Sori |
| Westrobothnian | FLåt FöLåt |
| Wolof | Baal ma |
| Wymsorys | Fercaj Fercajt |
| Yiddish | (Zay moykhl!) זײַ מוחל! |
| Xhosa | Uxolo Ndicela uxolo Ndiyaxolisa |
| Yoruba | Ẹ má bínú (Don't be angry) Ẹ má bínú sí mi (Don't be angry with me) Ẹ má bínú sí wa (Don't be angry with us) Ẹ pẹ̀lẹ́ (Be gentle) Ẹ pẹ̀lẹ́ o |
| Yucatec Maya | Ma'taali'teeni' |
| Zazaki | Qisurê mi mevîne Qaytê qisurî mebên |
| Zulu | Ngiyaxolisa |
| Auxiliary and constructed languages | |
|---|---|
| Esperanto | Mi bedaŭras! |
| Folkspraak | Fargiving! |
| Interlingua | Pardono! |
| Lojban | .u'u |
| Quenya | Nanyë nyérinqua |
| Volapük | Pidö! Pidob osi |
Download all the audio files (Zip format)
Hear how to say sorry in various languages
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