Apologising & making excuses in Chinese 道歉
dàoqiàn
Sorry in Chinese is 对不起 (duì bu qǐ).
Also searched for as: sorry, I'm sorry, apology, apologizing, excuses, my bad.
Saying sorry, and explaining what went wrong. 15 essential apologising & making excuses words in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.
The word for sorry in Chinese that most learners meet first is 对不起 (duì bu qǐ), but natives choose between several apologies depending on how serious things are. 不好意思 (bù hǎo yì si) is the light, everyday sorry or excuse me, while 抱歉 (bào qiàn) is a little more formal and common in messages and at work. You'll also need the replies, like 没关系 (méi guān xi), it's OK, and the classic excuse for being late: 堵车 (dǔ chē), a traffic jam.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 对不起 | duì bu qǐ | sorry |
| 不好意思 | bù hǎo yì si | sorry; excuse me |
| 抱歉 | bào qiàn | sorry; apologetic |
| 道歉 | dào qiàn | to apologise |
| 是我的错 | shì wǒ de cuò | it's my fault |
| 我不是故意的 | wǒ bù shì gù yì de | I didn't mean to |
| 添麻烦 | tiān má fan | to cause trouble; to put someone out |
| 原谅 | yuán liàng | to forgive |
| 没关系 | méi guān xi | it's OK; never mind |
| 怪 | guài | to blame |
| 借口 | jiè kǒu | excuse |
| 堵车 | dǔ chē | traffic jam (the classic excuse) |
| 解释 | jiě shì | to explain |
| 下次不会了 | xià cì bù huì le | it won't happen again |
| 赔礼道歉 | péi lǐ dào qiàn | to make a proper apology |
Usage tips
- Use 不好意思 for small things, like bumping into someone or interrupting a stranger, and save 对不起 for when you've genuinely done something wrong.
- When someone has gone out of their way for you, 给你添麻烦了 (gěi nǐ tiān má fan le), sorry for putting you out, is the natural thing to say.
- In emails, announcements and customer service you'll see 很抱歉 (hěn bào qiàn) or 非常抱歉 (fēi cháng bào qiàn), we're very sorry, rather than 对不起.
Common mistakes
- Saying 我道歉 as an everyday "sorry": 道歉 (dào qiàn) is the verb "to apologise" → just say 对不起, and when you do use 道歉, the person goes before it: 跟她道歉 (gēn tā dào qiàn), not 道歉她.
- Replying to an apology with 没问题 (méi wèn tí), no problem → the natural replies are 没关系 (méi guān xi) or 没事 (méi shì).
- Saying 我不故意 for "I didn't mean to" → you need 是……的: 我不是故意的 (wǒ bù shì gù yì de).
Mini dialogue
- A对不起，我来晚了！Duì bu qǐ, wǒ lái wǎn le!Sorry I'm late!
- B没关系。路上堵车吗？Méi guān xi. Lù shang dǔ chē ma?That's OK. Was the traffic bad?
- A不是，是我的错，我睡过头了。Bù shì, shì wǒ de cuò, wǒ shuì guò tóu le.No, it's my fault, I overslept.
- B哈哈，至少你没找借口。Hā hā, zhì shǎo nǐ méi zhǎo jiè kǒu.Haha, at least you're not making excuses.
- A不好意思，让你久等了。下次不会了！Bù hǎo yì si, ràng nǐ jiǔ děng le. Xià cì bù huì le!Sorry to keep you waiting. It won't happen again!
Example sentences
- 对不起，我来晚了。Sorry I'm late.
- 不好意思，让你久等了。Sorry to keep you waiting.
- 很抱歉，我忘了回你消息。I'm so sorry, I forgot to reply to your message.
- 你应该跟她道歉。You should apologise to her.
- 别怪他，是我的错。Don't blame him, it's my fault.
- 对不起，我不是故意的。Sorry, I didn't mean to.
- 真不好意思，给你添麻烦了。Sorry for putting you out.
- 请原谅我这一次。Please forgive me just this once.
- 没关系，下次注意就好。It's fine, just be careful next time.
- 这件事不能怪你。You're not to blame for this.
- 别找借口了，你就是忘了。Stop making excuses, you just forgot.
- 路上堵车，我要晚十分钟到。I'm stuck in traffic, I'll be ten minutes late.
- 等等，你听我解释！Wait, let me explain!
- 我保证下次不会了。I promise it won't happen again.
- 他上门赔礼道歉了。He came round to apologise properly.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Apologising & making excuses speaking island has 8 everyday questions about apologising & making excuses to prepare your own answers to.