🇨🇳 Mandarin Chinese phrases
How to say “Sorry” in Mandarin Chinese
对不起
duìbuqǐ
Literally: cannot face (you)neutral
A real apology for a mistake or causing trouble. For bumping into someone or small inconveniences, 不好意思 is lighter and far more common in daily life.
Other ways to say it
| Mandarin Chinese | Pronunciation | Meaning | When to use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 不好意思 | bù hǎoyìsi | sorry / excuse me (embarrassed) | Small mistakes, minor inconvenience |
| 抱歉 | bàoqiàn | I apologize | Formal, written, or customer service |
In a sentence
对不起，我来晚了。
Duìbuqǐ, wǒ lái wǎn le.
Sorry, I'm late.
More Mandarin Chinese phrases
Hello你好Goodbye再见Thank you谢谢Please请Excuse me不好意思Yes是No不Good morning早上好Good evening晚上好Good night晚安How are you?你好吗？My name is…我叫…Nice to meet you很高兴认识你I love you我爱你I miss you我想你Happy birthday生日快乐Cheers!干杯！Enjoy your meal慢慢吃Welcome欢迎Congratulations恭喜Happy New Year新年快乐I don't understand我听不懂Do you speak English?你会说英语吗？How much is it?多少钱？Where is the toilet?洗手间在哪儿？Help!救命！Beautiful漂亮Friend朋友See you later回头见
“Sorry” in other languages
🇬🇪 Georgianბოდიშიbodishi🇪🇸 SpanishLo sientoloh SYEHN-toh🇫🇷 FrenchPardonpar-DOHN🇩🇪 GermanEntschuldigungent-SHOOL-dee-goong🇮🇹 ItalianScusaSKOO-zah🇧🇷 Brazilian PortugueseDesculpajis-KOOL-pah🇷🇺 RussianИзвинитеizvinite🇯🇵 Japaneseすみませんsumimasen🇰🇷 Korean죄송합니다joesonghamnida🇸🇦 Arabicآسفasif🇦🇲 ArmenianՆերեցեքneretsek🇦🇿 AzerbaijaniÜzr istəyirəmewzr ees-ta-yee-ram🇮🇷 Persianببخشیدbebakhshid🇹🇭 Thaiขอโทษkho thot🇻🇳 VietnameseXin lỗisin loy🇺🇦 UkrainianВибачтеvybachte🇷🇸 SerbianИзвинитеizvinite🇬🇷 GreekΣυγγνώμηsighnómi🇮🇱 Hebrewסליחהslicha