How to say “Excuse me” in Japanese
How to say excuse me in Japanese: すみません vs すみませんが vs 失礼します, which fits where, polite and casual forms, native audio, and an AI grader that scores you saying it.
すみませんが。
Excuse me, but...
ごめん、でも。
Excuse me, but...
When to use which
すみません (sumimasen) is the all-purpose excuse me: getting a stranger's attention, calling a waiter, squeezing past someone on a train. Adding が turns it into a soft on-ramp — すみませんが is "excuse me, but..." — the standard way to preface a request or an interruption without sounding abrupt. With friends, the casual equivalent is ごめん, and ごめん、でも does the same "sorry, but..." work.
The other word to know is 失礼します (shitsurei shimasu) — literally "I'm being rude." It's the excuse-me for crossing into someone's space: stepping into an office, hanging up a phone call, leaving work before your coworkers (お先に失礼します). English speakers rarely learn it because "excuse me" flattens all of these into one phrase; Japanese splits attention-getting (すみません) from space-crossing (失礼します).
The register trap is calling out ごめん to a stranger or store staff — it's too familiar for someone you don't know. Default to すみません with anyone who isn't a friend. And when a request follows, the trailing が matters: すみませんが signals "an imposition is coming" before you've made it, which is precisely the kind of social smoothing a phrasebook can't check and a grader can.
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The trailing が in すみませんが does a full sentence of social work — it tells the listener an imposition is coming before you've actually made it.
Frequently asked
What's the difference between すみません and 失礼します?
すみません addresses a person — getting attention, apologizing, thanking someone for trouble. 失礼します marks crossing into someone's space: entering an office, ending a phone call, leaving work before others. Both are polite; they just cover different situations.
How do you politely interrupt someone in Japanese?
Lead with すみませんが — "excuse me, but..." The が softens what follows and warns the listener a request or correction is coming. It's the standard opener before asking for directions, help, or a favor.
Can I say ごめん to get a stranger's attention?
No — ごめん is for friends and family. To a stranger, staff, or anyone you'd address politely, use すみません. Casual apologies to people you don't know read as overly familiar rather than friendly.
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