Saying “sorry” is one of the most important ways to show respect, empathy, and good manners. Learning how to say sorry in different languages helps you communicate politely, fix misunderstandings, and connect with people from different cultures.
In this guide, you’ll discover sorry in different languages, including pronunciation and real-life examples so you can apologize naturally in any situation.
Sorry in All Languages (70 Examples)
| Language | Phrase | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| English | Sorry (sor-ee) | Sorry, I am late. |
| Spanish | Lo siento (lo syen-to) | Lo siento, llegué tarde. (Sorry, I arrived late.) |
| French | Désolé (day-zo-lay) | Désolé, je suis en retard. (Sorry, I am late.) |
| German | Entschuldigung (ent-shool-dee-goong) | Entschuldigung, ich bin zu spät. (Sorry, I am late.) |
| Italian | Mi dispiace (mee dis-pya-che) | Mi dispiace, sono in ritardo. (Sorry, I am late.) |
| Portuguese | Desculpa (des-kool-pa) | Desculpa, cheguei tarde. (Sorry, I arrived late.) |
| Dutch | Sorry (sor-ee) | Sorry, ik ben laat. (Sorry, I am late.) |
| Russian | Извини (iz-vee-nee) | Извини, я опоздал. (Sorry, I am late.) |
| Chinese (Mandarin) | 对不起 (dui bu qi) | 对不起，我迟到了。(Sorry, I am late.) |
| Japanese | ごめんなさい (go-men-na-sai) | ごめんなさい、遅れました。(Sorry, I am late.) |
| Korean | 미안해요 (mi-an-he-yo) | 미안해요, 늦었어요. (Sorry, I am late.) |
| Arabic | آسف (aa-sif) | آسف، أنا متأخر. (Sorry, I am late.) |
| Hindi | माफ़ कीजिए (maaf kee-ji-ye) | माफ़ कीजिए, मैं देर से आया। (Sorry, I am late.) |
| Urdu | معاف کیجیے (maaf kee-ji-ye) | معاف کیجیے، میں دیر سے آیا۔ (Sorry, I am late.) |
| Turkish | Özür dilerim (o-zur di-le-rim) | Özür dilerim, geç kaldım. (Sorry, I am late.) |
| Greek | Συγγνώμη (sig-no-mi) | Συγγνώμη, άργησα. (Sorry, I am late.) |
| Polish | Przepraszam (pshe-pra-sham) | Przepraszam, spóźniłem się. (Sorry, I am late.) |
| Swedish | Förlåt (for-lot) | Förlåt, jag är sen. (Sorry, I am late.) |
| Danish | Undskyld (un-skool) | Undskyld, jeg er forsinket. (Sorry, I am late.) |
| Norwegian | Unnskyld (un-shyld) | Unnskyld, jeg er sen. (Sorry, I am late.) |
| Finnish | Anteeksi (an-tek-si) | Anteeksi, olen myöhässä. (Sorry, I am late.) |
| Czech | Promiň (pro-meen) | Promiň, jsem pozdě. (Sorry, I am late.) |
| Hungarian | Sajnálom (soy-naa-lom) | Sajnálom, elkéstem. (Sorry, I am late.) |
| Romanian | Îmi pare rău (eem pa-re rau) | Îmi pare rău, am întârziat. (Sorry, I am late.) |
| Bulgarian | Съжалявам (sa-zha-lya-vam) | Съжалявам, закъснях. (Sorry, I am late.) |
| Ukrainian | Вибач (vy-bach) | Вибач, я запізнився. (Sorry, I am late.) |
| Hebrew | סליחה (sli-kha) | סליחה, אני מאחר. (Sorry, I am late.) |
| Thai | ขอโทษ (kho-thot) | ขอโทษ ฉันมาสาย (Sorry, I am late.) |
| Vietnamese | Xin lỗi (sin loy) | Xin lỗi, tôi đến muộn. (Sorry, I am late.) |
| Indonesian | Maaf (ma-af) | Maaf, saya terlambat. (Sorry, I am late.) |
| Malay | Maaf (ma-af) | Maaf, saya lewat. (Sorry, I am late.) |
| Filipino | Paumanhin (pa-u-man-hin) | Paumanhin, nahuli ako. (Sorry, I am late.) |
| Swahili | Samahani (sa-ma-ha-ni) | Samahani, nimechelewa. (Sorry, I am late.) |
| Zulu | Ngiyaxolisa (ngi-ya-xo-li-sa) | Ngiyaxolisa, ngiphuze. (Sorry, I am late.) |
| Afrikaans | Jammer (ya-mer) | Jammer, ek is laat. (Sorry, I am late.) |
| Persian | متاسفم (mo-ta-as-se-fam) | متاسفم دیر رسیدم. (Sorry, I am late.) |
| Bengali | দুঃখিত (duk-khi-to) | দুঃখিত, আমি দেরি করেছি। (Sorry, I am late.) |
| Punjabi | ਮਾਫ ਕਰਨਾ (maaf kar-na) | ਮਾਫ ਕਰਨਾ, ਮੈਂ ਦੇਰ ਨਾਲ ਆਇਆ। (Sorry, I am late.) |
| Tamil | மன்னிக்கவும் (man-ni-kka-vum) | மன்னிக்கவும், நான் தாமதமாக வந்தேன். (Sorry, I am late.) |
| Telugu | క్షమించండి (ksha-min-chan-di) | క్షమించండి, నేను ఆలస్యంగా వచ్చాను. (Sorry, I am late.) |
| Marathi | माफ करा (maaf ka-ra) | माफ करा, मी उशिरा आलो. (Sorry, I am late.) |
| Gujarati | માફ કરશો (maaf kar-sho) | માફ કરશો, હું મોડો આવ્યો. (Sorry, I am late.) |
| Kannada | ಕ್ಷಮಿಸಿ (ksha-mi-si) | ಕ್ಷಮಿಸಿ, ನಾನು ತಡವಾಗಿ ಬಂದೆ. (Sorry, I am late.) |
| Malayalam | ക്ഷമിക്കണം (ksha-mik-ka-nam) | ക്ഷമിക്കണം, ഞാൻ വൈകി. (Sorry, I am late.) |
| Sinhala | සමාවෙන්න (sa-ma-ven-na) | සමාවෙන්න, මට ප්රමාද වුණා. (Sorry, I am late.) |
| Nepali | माफ गर्नुहोस् (maaf gar-nu-hos) | माफ गर्नुहोस्, म ढिलो भएँ। (Sorry, I am late.) |
| Khmer | សុំទោស (som-toh) | សុំទោស ខ្ញុំយឺត។ (Sorry, I am late.) |
| Lao | ຂໍໂທດ (kho-thot) | ຂໍໂທດ ຂ້ອຍມາຊ້າ. (Sorry, I am late.) |
| Burmese | တောင်းပန်ပါတယ် (taung-pan ba-de) | တောင်းပန်ပါတယ် နောက်ကျခဲ့တယ်။ (Sorry, I am late.) |
| Mongolian | Уучлаарай (uuch-laa-ray) | Уучлаарай, би хоцорсон. (Sorry, I am late.) |
| Icelandic | Fyrirgefðu (fi-rir-geh-thu) | Fyrirgefðu, ég er seinn. (Sorry, I am late.) |
| Irish | Tá brón orm (ta broan orum) | Tá brón orm, tá mé déanach. (Sorry, I am late.) |
| Welsh | Mae’n ddrwg gen i (mine droog gen ee) | Mae’n ddrwg gen i, rwy’n hwyr. (Sorry, I am late.) |
| Scottish Gaelic | Tha mi duilich (ha mi doo-lich) | Tha mi duilich, tha mi fadalach. (Sorry, I am late.) |
| Latvian | Atvainojiet (at-vai-no-yet) | Atvainojiet, es kavēju. (Sorry, I am late.) |
| Lithuanian | Atsiprašau (at-si-pra-shau) | Atsiprašau, pavėlavau. (Sorry, I am late.) |
| Estonian | Vabandust (va-ban-dust) | Vabandust, ma jäin hiljaks. (Sorry, I am late.) |
| Slovak | Prepáč (pre-paach) | Prepáč, meškám. (Sorry, I am late.) |
| Slovenian | Oprosti (o-pro-sti) | Oprosti, zamujam. (Sorry, I am late.) |
| Croatian | Oprosti (o-pro-sti) | Oprosti, kasnim. (Sorry, I am late.) |
| Serbian | Извини (iz-vee-ni) | Извини, касним. (Sorry, I am late.) |
| Bosnian | Izvini (iz-vee-ni) | Izvini, kasnim. (Sorry, I am late.) |
| Albanian | Më fal (me fal) | Më fal, jam vonë. (Sorry, I am late.) |
| Macedonian | Извини (iz-vee-ni) | Извини, доцнам. (Sorry, I am late.) |
| Armenian | Ներիր (ne-rir) | Ներիր, ուշացա։ (Sorry, I am late.) |
| Georgian | ბოდიში (bo-di-shi) | ბოდიში, დამაგვიანდა. (Sorry, I am late.) |
| Basque | Barkatu (bar-ka-tu) | Barkatu, berandu nago. (Sorry, I am late.) |
| Catalan | Perdó (per-do) | Perdó, arribo tard. (Sorry, I am late.) |
How to Say Sorry in Different Languages
Learning how to say sorry in different languages is essential for polite communication. It helps you apologize sincerely and maintain good relationships in any culture.
Sorry Around the World Cultural Meaning
Apologies vary across cultures. Some languages use formal and informal versions, while others rely on tone and context. Understanding sorry around the world improves your cultural awareness.
Why Learning Sorry Translations Matters
Knowing sorry in all languages helps you communicate respectfully, fix mistakes, and build stronger connections globally. It is one of the most important words in any language.
Conclusion
Exploring sorry in different languages is a practical and meaningful way to improve your communication skills. These translations help you express empathy and respect anywhere in the world.
FAQs
1. How do you say sorry in different languages?
You can say sorry as “Lo siento” in Spanish, “Désolé” in French, and “Maaf kijiye” in Urdu.
2. Is sorry used in every language?
Yes, though expressions and usage may vary by culture.
3. Are there formal and informal apologies?
Yes, many languages have different forms depending on the situation.
4. Can I use these phrases daily?
Yes, they are commonly used in everyday conversations.
5. Why is learning sorry important?
It helps maintain respect, politeness, and good relationships.
