In some situations, though, you might want to use something a little more specific. Or say a little more than just “sorry” as that might not be enough to cover all your mishaps. So here are a few more formal and respectful expressions that will make your apology sound truly heartfelt and sincere. Read this and you’ll become an expert in apologize in no time!

#1 Asking for a favor –“打扰了” or “麻烦了”

Apologize with “打扰了” (Pinyin：dǎ rǎo le)

People mostly use 打扰了 to apologize when they need to interrupt someone to ask for a favor. This is fitting as 打扰 means “interrupt/interruption”. In English, you’d say “excuse me” to get someone’s attention. Well, in Chinese you say “打扰了” or “打扰一下”(Pinyin：dǎ rǎo yī xià). This is a good way to get someone’s attention without being rude.

Often, 不好意思 and 打扰了 are used together. Here’s a few situations where you might need a “打扰了”. Say, for instance…

Example 1: You’re looking for the closest KTV (that’s what Karaokes are called in China). You go up to a newsstand to ask the owner for directions to the KTV. The newsstand owner is fast asleep – which happens in China. You gently say (because you want to wake him up nicely,  not scare him awake):

Example 2： The secretary is busy angrily reenacting the “Flight of BumbleBee”on her keyboard. You prudently say:

Note: There might be three “apologetic” expressions in this sentence, but you’re just being a regular amount of polite.  And a little formal.

Apologize with “麻烦了”(Pinyin：má fan le)

麻烦 means “trouble”. Literally it means “to cause some troubles”. People use 麻烦了 when they want to apologize for the inconvenience they’ve caused or for troubles they brought or are bringing to others. It can also be used as a way of saying thank you or to show your gratefulness.

Example 1：

Your former classmate went to extreme lengths to get you an interview at her company. You say:

Exemple 2：

You’re feeling too lazy to get up yourself. You ask the person nearest to you to do you a favor. You say ;

Exemple 3：

When kidding with your friends, you can also use 麻烦 to say:

Live wit no regrets. But if you must feel regret, use 深感歉疚” (shēn gǎn qiàn jiù) or “非常惭愧” (fēi cháng cán kuì) to show how deeply you regret.

#2. Expressing regret —“深感歉疚”or “非常惭愧”

When someone does something terrible that causes somebody a great deal of trouble, the troublemaker can use “深感歉疚” (shēn gǎn qiàn jiù) or “非常惭愧” (fēi cháng cán kuì) to show how deeply he or she regrets. Both are mostly used in situations where serious damage was caused.

So, in a everyday situation, it’s best to avoid using these words or people will think you are making a big deal out of nothing!

How do you know which one you should use when?

So… it depends on how bad you feel about what happened!

深感歉疚 (shēn gǎn qiàn jiù) – regret + sorry

Example 1： You told your bosses that llamas were really fashionable when really it’s sloths that are all the rage. The new company mascot is a flop and sales are plummeting. You regret, you’re sorry but you’re not really ashamed. 歉疚 is your man! You say:

惭愧” (fēi cháng cán kuì) – oh, the shame

Example 2： Your manager gave you five hours to write the company’s annual report and you fell asleep on the job. Shame ensues. You use “非常惭愧”.

Like we’d forgive this kitten. His adorable mug has to be hiding something! Ok, ok, maybe we will.

 3. Asking for forgiveness –“多多包涵” or “请你原谅”

“多多包涵” (duō duō bāo han) and“请你原谅” (qǐng nǐ yuán liàng) are two respectful ways to ask for forgiveness. They are mostly used around the office or in formal situations. These expressions allow you to ask for forgiveness without losing face, which is crucial in China!

多多包涵 (duō duō bāo han)

“包涵” means to bear, so “多多包涵” means “to bear with it a lot”, i.e. bear with it, please don’t get angry and upset. People use  this expression when they make a mistake or when they’ve disturbed or bothered someone, and want to discreetly ask for forgiveness.

多多包涵 is now also often used as a polite way to be modest and courteous. New employees use it a lot in their first self-introduction in the office.

Example 1：

Your son fed his homework to his hamster and you hope it won’t reflect badly on you.

Example 2 ：

You were drunk last night and don’t quite remember what went down…. As a precaution, you say:

 请你原谅 (qǐng nǐ yuán liàng)

“请你原谅” means “to forgive” and “请原谅我” means “please forgive me”. It is a really respectful way to say sorry, because you’re asking, nay,  begging for forgiveness. Usually, people say this right after admitting their mistake.

For instance…

You ate your colleague’s lunch box (it wasn’t labelled properly in the fridge and you were hungry but still, now you feel really bad).

So there you have it! 6 new expressions so you can express the full range of your apologetic feelings. Whether you’re sorry, deeply sorry, ashamed, regretful, begging for forgiveness or just getting ready to ask someone for a favor, we hope you’ll find in this list the Chinese expression that suits your need!

Here’s a summary of these 6 new expressions. May your apologies flow smoothly now!

打扰了 dǎ rǎo le excuse me (to get someone's attention), sorry to be disturbing

麻烦了 má fan le sorry to be so much trouble (when you need to ask someone to do something for you) 

深感歉疚 shēn gǎn qiàn jiù I regret (but don't particularly feel ashamed)

非常惭愧 fēi cháng cán kuì I regret and feel deeply ashamed

多多包涵 duōduō bāohan litterally please bear with it - i.e. please forgive me.

请原谅我 qǐng yuánliàng wǒ Please forgive me.

Did we leave one out? Which expressions do you use the most? Let us know in the comments!

Miaw!

The Nincha Team

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3 main expressions to say sorry in Chinese: 

对不起, 抱歉 and 不好意思

#1. 对不起 (Pinyin：duì bù qǐ)

对不起 is a simple and straightforward word that people use to say sorry in Chinese.  As it can immediately defuse a situation, this is a great word to know! 对不起 means “unworthy”, and conveys a meaning of “I owe you”. As such, when you’re saying 对不起, you’re pretty much admitting your mistake directly and apologizing for it. So, in English, it is translated as ‘‘sorry”.

对不起，我踩到你的脚了。

Duìbùqǐ,   wǒ cǎi dào nǐ de jiǎole.

Sorry I stepped on your foot.

That person replies:

没关系。

Méiguānxì.

It’s all right.

Example 2: Your friend yelled at you because you dared to laugh when he walked straight into a glass door. Once the pain has subsided, your friend says:

对不起，我不该对你发脾气。

Duìbùqǐ,  wǒ bù gāi duì nǐ fā píqì.

I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have blown up at you.

You reply:

就是嘛，你不应该对我发脾气，这根本不是我的错。

Jiùshì ma,   nǐ bù yìng gāi duì wǒ fā píqì,  zhè gēnběn bùshì wǒ de cuò.

Damn right, you shouldn’t have! It’s not even my fault.

Example 3: You bump into a table and your colleague’s brand new cup she brought back from New York crashes on the floor. You say:

对不起，我打碎了你的杯子。

 Duìbùqǐ,  wǒ dǎ suìle nǐ de bēizi.

I’m sorry that I broke your cup.

Your colleague says:

没关系，别担心。

Méiguānxì, bié dānxīn.

It’s all right. Don’t worry about it.

Example 4: The person you’re speaking to must hold the world record for fastest speech. You need him or her to repeat. You say:

对不起，请再说一遍好吗？

Duìbùqǐ, qǐng zàishuō yībiàn hǎo ma?

I beg your pardon, could you repeat what you said?

 #2. 抱歉 (pinyin：bào qiàn)

抱歉 (bào qiàn) is another way to say sorry in Chinese. 抱 (bào) means hold, 歉 (qiàn) means regret. There are two ways to translate 抱歉 in English. It can first mean: feeling sorry and guilty for an inconvenience that you caused. It can also mean regretting something that happened to someone.

真抱歉给你添了这么多麻烦。

Zhēn bàoqiàn gěi nǐ tiānle zhème duō máfan.

I am so sorry to be bringing you so much trouble.

Example 2: Your neighbor’s pesky little dog that loved barking all night long just died. You still feel bad for your neighbor:

对于你的狗去世我感到很抱歉.

Duìyú nǐ de gǒu qùshì wǒ gǎndào hěn bàoqiàn.

I’m sorry your dog passed away.

#3. 不好意思 (Pinyin：bù hǎo yì si)

Originally, the word 不好意思 (bù hǎo yì si) didn’t mean sorry, and just meant “embarrassed and shy”. As in:

Xiǎo gūniáng jiàn dào mòshēng rén gǎndào hěn bù hǎoyìsi.

小姑娘见到陌生人感到很不好意思。

The little girl feels so shy when she meets strangers.

Now, however 不好意思 (bù hǎo yì si) is very often used as a more polite way to apologize. As a form of apology, it has 2 meanings. You can use it to say sorry in Chinese about things or situations that are not too important, but you still feel embarrassed about, such as being late or rejecting an invitation. Example 1: It took you forever to get to work because it was raining and all the taxis were full, and you had to take the metro instead (seriously this happens all the time in Shanghai). You say:

不好意思，我迟到了。

Bù hǎoyìsi, wǒ chídàole.

Sorry I’m late.

Another meaning of不好意思 (bù hǎo yì si) in English is “excuse me”. It’s a formal phrase that can be used to get someone’s attention when you need to ask something. Example 2: To make matters worse, you didn’t know where the subway station was. You ask:

不好意思，请问一下地铁站在哪里。

Bù hǎoyìsi, qǐngwèn yīxià dìtiě zhàn zài nǎlǐ.

Excuse me, could you tell me where the subway station is?

To sum up

• 对不起 may be how you first learn to say Sorry in Chinese when you learn Chinese but do know it carries a strong meaning.

Use it for: Situations where you need to admit your mistake and move on. Add 请原谅我 (Qǐng yuánliàng wǒ) when you really slipped up and need to beg for forgiveness.

• 不好意思 is awesome when you’ve done something minor but you feel embarrassed about it or want to get someone’s attention.

Use it for: situations where you’re running late, can’t make it, need to apologize because it’s polite but you don’t really mean it (i.e when you’re trying to get someone’s attention…) and so on. Add 打扰了 (dǎrǎole) or 麻烦了 (máfanle)  to your 不好意思  when you’re trying to politely get someone’s attention.   Last but not least,

• 抱歉 is close in meaning to 不好意思 . You can especially use it when you feel bad about something you’ve done or something that happened to someone.

Use it when: you were a pain and you regret it; a service is temporarily out of order; something failed to do what it was supposed to; someone or an animal passed away, and many more situations.

So there you go! With these three magic words, you’re now all set to say sorry in Chinese if something occurs! Just don’t go getting into too much trouble on purpose to practice these new expressions! 🙂

UPDATE: Need more expressions to sound polite in Chinese, especially when you’re being a bother? Then check out part 2: Become an expert apologizer!

Miaw! Yuqi and 

The Nincha Team

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