Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word
申し訳. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
申し訳, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
申し訳 in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
申し訳 you have here. The definition of the word
申し訳 will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
申し訳, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
Japanese
| Alternative spellings
|
申し譯 (kyūjitai)
申訳
|
Pronunciation
Noun
申し訳 • (mōshiwake) ←まうしわけ (mausiwake)?
- (honorific) apology, excuse
- まことに申し訳ございません。
- Makoto ni mōshiwake gozaimasen.
- I am really sorry.
- (literally, “Sincerely I have no excuse.”)
Usage notes
- 申し訳 is almost always used in expressing apology as in 申し訳ない (mōshiwakenai). The level of humbleness increases as ない morphing into more polite form such as ありません (arimasen), ございません (gozaimasen) or なく存じます (naku zonjimasu), as well as the adverb preceding 申し訳, e.g. ほんとに (honto ni), まことに (makoto ni), 非常に (hijō ni) or 大変 (taihen), etc.
- Another apologetic expression with similar humbleness to 申し訳ない is "お詫び申し上げます (owabi mōshiagemasu)".
- When stating or blaming someone for using an excuse for mistake or wrongdoing, 言い訳 (īwake) is always used instead.
Synonyms
References
- ^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
- ^ NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN