Sorry in Different Languages
Discover 'Sorry' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'sorry' holds a significant place in our vocabulary, denoting remorse, sympathy, or politely expressing gratitude. Its cultural importance is undeniable, as it serves as a universal ice-breaker and a means to mend relationships. Understanding the translation of 'sorry' in different languages can help bridge cultural gaps and foster better communication.
Did you know that the English word 'sorry' comes from the Old English 'sorgian,' which means 'to be anxious or distressed?' Or that in some cultures, saying 'sorry' can be expressed through gestures instead of words? For instance, in Japan, people often bow as a form of apology.
Exploring the word 'sorry' in various languages can also offer insight into the unique perspectives and values of different cultures. For example, in Hawaiian, 'sorry' translates to 'olelo ho'opa'i,' which means 'to make right or correct.' In German, 'sorry' is 'entschuldigung,' which also means 'excuse me.'
Discover the many ways to express 'sorry' in different languages and cultures, and enhance your cross-cultural communication skills.
Sorry
Sorry in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | jammer | ||
| The Afrikaans word "jammer" can also be used as a noun meaning "pity" or "regret". | |||
| Amharic | አዝናለሁ | ||
| "አዝናለሁ" is said to derive from the root verb "ዘነ" meaning "lament" or "be sad". | |||
| Hausa | yi hakuri | ||
| The Hausa word 'yi hakuri' ('sorry') is also used to express gratitude or ask forgiveness. | |||
| Igbo | ndo | ||
| The Igbo word "ndo" may also be translated as "an exclamation of surprise or fear" or "a greeting to an important person" | |||
| Malagasy | miala tsiny | ||
| Miala tsiny, meaning "to ask for forgiveness", is derived from the verb mia "to give" and the noun tsiny "a fault or mistake." | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | pepani | ||
| In Nyanja, "Pepani" also means "to be pitiful" or "to be in a state of sorrow or regret." | |||
| Shona | ndine hurombo | ||
| The word "ndine hurombo" in Shona can also mean "I regret" or "I apologize". It is derived from the verb "kurova", which means "to break" or "to destroy", and the noun "hurombo", which means "sorrow" or "regret". Therefore, "ndine hurombo" literally means "I have broken my heart" or "I have caused myself sorrow". | |||
| Somali | raali ahow | ||
| The word 'raali ahow' in Somali can also be used to express relief or gratitude. | |||
| Sesotho | masoabi | ||
| The etymology of "masoabi" is uncertain, but it may be derived from the verb "soa" meaning "to err" or "to be wrong". | |||
| Swahili | samahani | ||
| "Samahani" is derived from the verb "samaha," meaning "to forgive" or "to make light of a wrong," and is used in both formal and informal contexts to express regret, apology, or sympathy. | |||
| Xhosa | uxolo | ||
| The Xhosa word "uxolo" can also mean "peace". | |||
| Yoruba | ma binu | ||
| The Yoruba word "ma binu" can also mean "forgive me" or "please don't be angry". | |||
| Zulu | ngiyaxolisa | ||
| The Zulu word 'ngiyaxolisa' ('sorry') also means 'I have forgiven' or 'I will forgive', reflecting the interconnectedness of apology and forgiveness in Zulu culture. | |||
| Bambara | hakɛto | ||
| Ewe | babaa | ||
| Kinyarwanda | mumbabarire | ||
| Lingala | bolimbisi | ||
| Luganda | nsonyiwa | ||
| Sepedi | ke maswabi | ||
| Twi (Akan) | kafra | ||
Sorry in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | آسف | ||
| The word "آسف" can also mean "sad" or "unhappy" in Arabic, highlighting the connection between regret and sadness in the language. | |||
| Hebrew | מצטער | ||
| "מצטער" (sorry in Hebrew) also means "to wait". | |||
| Pashto | بخښنه | ||
| The Pashto word "بخښنه" can also refer to forgiveness, pardon, or mercy. | |||
| Arabic | آسف | ||
| The word "آسف" can also mean "sad" or "unhappy" in Arabic, highlighting the connection between regret and sadness in the language. | |||
Sorry in Western European Languages
| Albanian | me falni | ||
| Basque | barkatu | ||
| The Basque term "barkatu” means "forgive" in its original sense, but is now most commonly used in the sense of “excuse me” or “sorry". | |||
| Catalan | ho sento | ||
| The Catalan word 'ho sento' is a calque of the Italian 'mi dispiace' (literally 'it displeases me') and thus retains its original meaning despite the different way of expressing apologies in Catalan. | |||
| Croatian | oprosti | ||
| "Oprosti" is formed by *o-* prefixed to the verb stem which is the cognate of Polish prościć – "beg", "implore", "ask pardon of" | |||
| Danish | undskyld | ||
| The word “undskyld” stems from a phrase meaning “not having an argument to give” (i.e. admitting fault), with its usage evolving from “excuse” to “apology”. | |||
| Dutch | sorry | ||
| The Dutch word 'sorry' is derived from the Old English word 'sari', meaning 'pain' or 'grief', and has the same meaning in Dutch. | |||
| English | sorry | ||
| The word 'sorry' originates from the Middle English word 'sori,' meaning 'painful' or 'grieving,' and has evolved over time to express regret, sympathy, and apology. | |||
| French | pardon | ||
| The French word "pardon" comes from the Latin word "perdonare", which means "to give up" or "to forgive". | |||
| Frisian | sorry | ||
| In Frisian, "sorry" can also refer to a heavy, wet, dampening mist. | |||
| Galician | perdón | ||
| Originally the word "perdón" meant in Galician "allow" or "let (someone) pass". | |||
| German | es tut uns leid | ||
| In German, “Es tut uns leid” literally translates to “It does us grief” or “It pains us”. | |||
| Icelandic | fyrirgefðu | ||
| The word "fyrirgefðu" in Icelandic comes from the Old Norse word "fyrirgefa", which means "to pardon" or "to forgive". | |||
| Irish | tá brón orm | ||
| The Irish phrase "tá brón orm" can also mean "I am ashamed" or "I have sympathy for you." | |||
| Italian | scusa | ||
| In addition to "sorry", "scusa" can also mean "excuse me" or "forgive me". | |||
| Luxembourgish | entschëllegt | ||
| The word "entschëllegt" is derived from the Old French word "escouter" meaning "to listen", and has the alternate meaning of "excuse me". | |||
| Maltese | jiddispjaċini | ||
| The Maltese word "jiddispjaċini" comes from the Italian "dispiacere," meaning "to displease" or "to cause displeasure." | |||
| Norwegian | beklager | ||
| "Beklager" is derived from the Old Norse word "at biðja" meaning "to ask" or "to pray", and the suffix "-lig" indicating "worthy of". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | desculpa | ||
| Despite its common meaning of "sorry" in Portuguese, "desculpa" is derived from the Latin phrase "de culpa," meaning "out of fault". In this sense, it signifies an acknowledgement of responsibility before offering an apology. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | duilich | ||
| The word “duilich” can also refer to a type of weed. | |||
| Spanish | lo siento | ||
| "Lo siento" also means "I feel it," capturing the empathetic nature of apologizing. | |||
| Swedish | förlåt | ||
| "Förlåt" literally translates to "for forgiveness", and can also be used to ask for forgiveness or excuse oneself. | |||
| Welsh | sori | ||
| The word "sori" can also be an adjective in Welsh meaning "sad" or "wretched." | |||
Sorry in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | прабачце | ||
| Прабачце' also means 'forgive' in Belarusian, similar to its Russian cognate 'простите' | |||
| Bosnian | izvini | ||
| ''Izvini'' can also mean 'forgive me', as it originates from the verb 'izviniti'. | |||
| Bulgarian | съжалявам | ||
| The Bulgarian word "съжалявам" also means "regret." | |||
| Czech | promiňte | ||
| "Promiňte" comes from the verb "prominout," which means "to forgive" or "to absolve from blame". | |||
| Estonian | vabandust | ||
| "Vabandust" is related to the Latin verb "venire" (to come): it literally means "a coming". | |||
| Finnish | anteeksi | ||
| The word 'anteeksi' originates from the verb 'antaa', meaning 'to give', and implies giving forgiveness or asking for it. | |||
| Hungarian | sajnálom | ||
| "Sajnálat" was originally a noun meaning "regret" or "loss", but it has evolved into an adverb meaning "unfortunately" or "regrettably". | |||
| Latvian | atvainojiet | ||
| The word "atvainojiet" comes from the archaic word "atvainot", meaning "to correct one's sin before taking Communion". | |||
| Lithuanian | atsiprašau | ||
| The Lithuanian word "atsiprašau" is a calque from the German "ich bitte um Verzeihung," meaning "I ask for forgiveness." | |||
| Macedonian | извини | ||
| The word “извини” originates from the old Bulgarian word “извинѫти”, which has multiple meanings, including but not limited to “to justify”, “to exempt”, and “to let go”. | |||
| Polish | przepraszam | ||
| The word "przepraszam" is derived from the Old Polish verb "przepraszać", meaning "to ask for forgiveness" or "to beg for mercy". | |||
| Romanian | scuze | ||
| The word <span style="background-color: yellow">scuze</span> derives from the Greek term <span style="background-color: orange">exousía</span>, meaning permission. | |||
| Russian | извиняюсь | ||
| The word "извиняюсь" can also mean "I am excused" or "I beg your pardon". | |||
| Serbian | извињавам се | ||
| The Serbian word "извињавам се" literally means "I apologize myself". | |||
| Slovak | prepáč | ||
| The word "Prepáč" also means "sieve" in Slovak and is related to the Old Church Slavonic word "prěpačiti" meaning "to sift" or "to strain". | |||
| Slovenian | oprosti | ||
| The word "oprosti" (sorry) in Slovene also means "exonerate" or "release" in a legal context. | |||
| Ukrainian | вибачте | ||
| The word "вибачте" derives from the Old Russian verb "видати," meaning "to see, to perceive". | |||
Sorry in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | দুঃখিত | ||
| "দুঃখিত" is derived from the Sanskrit word "duhkha-hita," which literally means "one who is distressed." | |||
| Gujarati | માફ કરશો | ||
| "માફ કરશો" derives from the Persian "maafi khaastan," meaning "to forgive" or "to pardon," a concept borrowed from the Islamic faith. | |||
| Hindi | माफ़ करना | ||
| माफ़ करना's origin is in the Arabic word 'mu'aafa', meaning 'to pardon' | |||
| Kannada | ಕ್ಷಮಿಸಿ | ||
| The origin of the Kannada word "ಕ್ಷಮಿಸಿ" ("sorry") can be traced back to a Sanskrit origin "छमा" ("forgiveness") suggesting its connection to the concept of forgiveness. | |||
| Malayalam | ക്ഷമിക്കണം | ||
| "ക്ഷമിക്കണം" literally means "excuse me" in Malayalam and can also be used in more formal or polite contexts compared to "sorry". | |||
| Marathi | क्षमस्व | ||
| The Marathi word "क्षमस्व" (kshamaasva) has its roots in Sanskrit, where "kshama" means "pardon" or "forgiveness", and "asva" means "to be", suggesting a request for pardon or forgiveness. | |||
| Nepali | माफ गर्नुहोस् | ||
| The Nepali word "माफ गर्नुहोस्" not only means "sorry" but also implies the speaker seeks forgiveness of the listener | |||
| Punjabi | ਮਾਫ ਕਰਨਾ | ||
| The Punjabi word for 'sorry', 'ਮਾਫ ਕਰਨਾ', can also be translated as 'forgive' or 'pardon'. It carries the connotation of seeking mercy or forgiveness for a wrong or mistake. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | සමාවන්න | ||
| The word "සමාවන්න" comes from the Pali word "samavāyati" meaning "to pardon" or "excuse." | |||
| Tamil | மன்னிக்கவும் | ||
| Telugu | క్షమించండి | ||
| The word "క్షమించండి" is derived from the Sanskrit word "kshama", which means "forgiveness" or "patience". | |||
| Urdu | معذرت | ||
| The word "معذرت" in Urdu can also mean "excuse" or "apology". | |||
Sorry in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 抱歉 | ||
| 抱歉 (bàoqiàn) can also mean to expose a flaw or to make a mistake. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 抱歉 | ||
| 抱歉's second meaning of 'show affection' derives from the word '拋' (бросить). | |||
| Japanese | ごめんなさい | ||
| "ごめんなさい" is also used euphemistically for "thank you" in some cases. | |||
| Korean | 죄송합니다 | ||
| 죄송합니다 literally means 'I have sinned against you' and can be used as a synonym for 'help' or 'thank you' depending on the context. | |||
| Mongolian | уучлаарай | ||
| The word "уучлаарай" can also mean "please excuse me" or "I apologize" in Mongolian. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | တောင်းပန်ပါတယ် | ||
Sorry in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | maaf | ||
| The word "Maaf" in Indonesian is derived from the Arabic word "ma'afu", which means "forgiven". | |||
| Javanese | nuwun sewu | ||
| Nu(l) and wu(l) are also present in other Javanese words like nulung (help) and wuluh (to become), signifying 'effort'. The word sewu is derived from the Sanskrit Sahasra (thousand), suggesting that an apology involves a thousand efforts to restore the relationship. | |||
| Khmer | សុំទោស | ||
| The word "សុំទោស" can also be used as a polite way to ask for something, such as a favor or permission. | |||
| Lao | ຂໍໂທດ | ||
| The Lao word "ຂໍໂທດ" comes from the Sanskrit word "kṣāma" meaning "to bear with patience" or "to forgive". | |||
| Malay | maaf | ||
| The word "maaf" can also mean "forgive" or "pardon" in Malay, and is derived from the Arabic word "maghfirah". | |||
| Thai | ขอโทษ | ||
| "ขอโทษ" (khǒotòot) is derived from the Sanskrit "kṣamā" meaning "forgiveness" and is often used in polite conversation to convey regret, apology, or sympathy. | |||
| Vietnamese | lấy làm tiếc | ||
| "Lấy làm tiếc" comes from the Vietnamese word "lấy" meaning "to take" and "tiếc" meaning "to regret". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sorry | ||
Sorry in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | bağışlayın | ||
| The word "bağışlayın" can also mean "forgive me" in Azerbaijani, as it is derived from the word "bağışlamak", which means "to forgive". | |||
| Kazakh | кешіріңіз | ||
| The word “кешіріңіз” in Kazakh also means “to let go”, “to forgive”, and “to excuse”. | |||
| Kyrgyz | кечириңиз | ||
| "Кечириңиз" is a Kyrgyz word that is ultimately derived from the Persian word "بخشیدن" (bakhshid), which means "to forgive". It can also be used in a more general sense to mean "excuse me" or "I'm sorry". | |||
| Tajik | бахшиш | ||
| The word "бахшиш" in Tajik can also refer to a bribe or tip. | |||
| Turkmen | bagyşlaň | ||
| Uzbek | uzr | ||
| The word uzr in Uzbek is derived from the Persian word | |||
| Uyghur | كەچۈرۈڭ | ||
Sorry in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | e kala mai | ||
| The Hawaiian phrase "e kala mai" can also mean "excuse me" or "pardon me" in English, which is a reflection of how Hawaiian culture emphasizes respect and politeness. | |||
| Maori | aroha mai | ||
| The word "aroha mai" can also mean "love" or "compassion" in Māori.. | |||
| Samoan | malie | ||
| The word 'malie' can also mean 'to feel ashamed' or 'to be humble', implying a sense of regret or remorse. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | pasensya na | ||
| In Filipino, the phrase "pasensya na" can also express resignation, acceptance, or tolerance. | |||
Sorry in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | p'ampachawi | ||
| Guarani | chediskulpa | ||
Sorry in International Languages
| Esperanto | pardonu | ||
| "Pardonu" is derived from the French word "pardon", a false friend meaning "forgiveness" rather than apology. | |||
| Latin | paenitet | ||
| The Latin "paenitet" means repentance, but its original meaning in Ancient Greek was a debt to be paid. | |||
Sorry in Others Languages
| Greek | συγνώμη | ||
| The word "συγνώμη" originates from the Greek words "συν" (with) and "γνώμη" (knowledge, judgment), so it originally meant "to understand someone's perspective or to forgive someone's mistake." | |||
| Hmong | thov txim | ||
| Literally translates to "to miss the mouth", referring to the feeling of regret after speaking carelessly. | |||
| Kurdish | bibore | ||
| It’s possible that the word is derived from the Middle Persian word "bebarr" which means "burden" or "burdened". | |||
| Turkish | afedersiniz | ||
| "Afedersiniz" (sorry) is derived from Arabic "afw" (forgiveness) and Persian "-id" (a noun suffix). | |||
| Xhosa | uxolo | ||
| The Xhosa word "uxolo" can also mean "peace". | |||
| Yiddish | אנטשולדיגט | ||
| The Yiddish word "אנטשולדיגט" can also mean "excused" or "forgiven". | |||
| Zulu | ngiyaxolisa | ||
| The Zulu word 'ngiyaxolisa' ('sorry') also means 'I have forgiven' or 'I will forgive', reflecting the interconnectedness of apology and forgiveness in Zulu culture. | |||
| Assamese | দুঃখিত | ||
| Aymara | p'ampachawi | ||
| Bhojpuri | माँफ करीं | ||
| Dhivehi | މަޢާފަށް އެދެން | ||
| Dogri | माफ करो | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sorry | ||
| Guarani | chediskulpa | ||
| Ilocano | pasensya | ||
| Krio | sɔri | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ببوورە | ||
| Maithili | माफ क दिय | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯁꯣꯏꯈ꯭ꯔꯦ | ||
| Mizo | tihpalh | ||
| Oromo | dhiifama | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଦୁ sorry ଖିତ | ||
| Quechua | llakikunim | ||
| Sanskrit | क्षम्यताम् | ||
| Tatar | гафу итегез | ||
| Tigrinya | ይሓዝን | ||
| Tsonga | ku tisola | ||