How to Say Sorry in Different Languages Around the World
Traveling means stepping into a world where things don’t always go as planned. Sometimes, you might find yourself in a bit of a mix-up or accidentally stepping on toes—literally or figuratively. That’s where knowing how to say “sorry” in different languages comes in handy.
Whether you’re accidentally bumping into someone in a crowded market in Bangkok and need to say “ขอโทษ” (Khor Thot) or navigating the cafe etiquette in Paris and murmuring “Désolé,” knowing how to apologize in the local language shows you’re making an effort to respect and understand the culture.
It’s not just about correcting a mistake; it’s about showing that you value the people and their customs wherever you go. That’s why I’ve put together this guide on how to say “sorry” in 100 different languages. Keep reading to start learning.
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How to Say Sorry in Different Languages
| Language | Sorry (English Spelling) | Phonetic Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| English | Sorry | Sorry |
| Mandarin Chinese | 对不起 (Duìbùqǐ) | Dway-boo-chee |
| Hindi | माफ़ कीजिए (Maaf kijiye) | Maaf kee-jee-ye |
| Spanish | Lo siento | Low see-en-to |
| French | Désolé | Day-zo-lay |
| Standard Arabic | آسف (Aasif) | Ah-sef |
| Bengali | দুঃখিত (Dukkhito) | Doo-khee-to |
| Russian | Простите (Prostite) | Pro-stee-teh |
| Portuguese | Desculpa | Desh-cool-pa |
| Urdu | معاف کیجئے (Maaf kijiye) | Maaf kee-jee-ye |
| Indonesian | Maaf | Mah-af |
| German | Entschuldigung | Ent-shool-dee-goong |
| Japanese | ごめんなさい (Gomen nasai) | Go-men na-sai |
| Swahili | Samahani | Sah-ma-ha-nee |
| Marathi | क्षमस्व (Kshamasva) | Ksha-ma-swa |
| Telugu | క్షమించండి (Kshaminchandi) | Ksha-min-chaan-dee |
| Turkish | Özür dilerim | Er-zur dee-le-rim |
| Tamil | மன்னிக்கவும் (Mannikkavum) | Man-nik-ka-vum |
| Korean | 미안해요 (Mianhaeyo) | Mee-ahn-hae-yo |
| Vietnamese | Xin lỗi | Sin loy |
| Italian | Scusa | Skoo-za |
| Hausa | Yi hakuri | Yee ha-koo-ree |
| Thai | ขอโทษ (Khor thot) | Kor toht |
| Cantonese | 對唔住 (Deui mh jyu) | Dui mm jyu |
| Persian | ببخشید (Bebakhshid) | Beh-bakh-sheed |
| Gujarati | માફ કરો (Maaf karo) | Maaf karo |
| Polish | Przepraszam | Pshe-pra-sham |
| Ukrainian | Вибачте (Vybachte) | Vee-bach-teh |
| Punjabi | ਮਾਫ਼ ਕਰੋ (Maaf karo) | Maaf karo |
| Dutch | Sorry | Sorry |
| Burmese | တဆိတ်လောက် (Tasi ta lauk) | Ta-see ta lowk |
| Filipino | Pasensya na | Pa-sen-shya na |
| Romanian | Îmi pare rău | Eem pare rau |
| Egyptian Arabic | آسف (Aasif) | Ah-sef |
| Malay | Maaf | Mah-af |
| Uzbek | Kechirasiz | Keh-chi-ra-siz |
| Sindhi | معاف ڪريو (Maaf karyo) | Maaf ka-ryo |
| Amharic | ይቅርታ (Yik’rta) | Yik’r-ta |
| Oromo | Dhiifama | Dhee-fa-ma |
| Igbo | Ndo | N-doh |
| Azerbaijani | Bağışlayın | Bagh-ish-lah-yin |
| Sundanese | Hapunten | Ha-poon-ten |
| Kurdish | Bibûre | Bee-boo-re |
| Moroccan Arabic | سمح ليا (Smah liya) | Smaah lee-ya |
| Cebuano | Pasayloa | Pa-sai-lo-a |
| Nepali | माफ गर्नुस् (Maaf garnus) | Maaf gar-nus |
| Serbo-Croatian | Oprostite | O-pros-tee-te |
| Hungarian | Bocsánat | Bo-cha-nat |
| Algerian Arabic | سمحلي (Smahli) | Smaah-lee |
| Sinhala | සමාවෙන්න (Samāvenna) | Sa-maa-ven-na |
| Northern Kurdish | Bibûre | Bee-boo-re |
| Czech | Promiňte | Pro-meen-te |
| Greek | Συγγνώμη (Sygnomi) | See-gno-mee |
| Chittagonian | মাফ করবেন (Maaf korben) | Maaf kor-ben |
| Zulu | Ngiyaxolisa | Ngee-ya-xo-lee-sa |
| Khmer | សុំទោស (Som tos) | Som tos |
| Turkmen | Bagyşlaň | Bagh-uh-shlan |
| Kannada | ಕ್ಷಮಿಸಿ (Kshamisi) | Ksha-mee-see |
| Xhosa | Ndicela uxolo | N-dee-ce-la ux-olo |
| Pashto | بخښنه (Bakhshna) | Baksh-na |
| Somali | Waan ka xumahay | Wahn ka xoo-ma-hay |
| Malayalam | ക്ഷമിക്കണം (Kshamikkanam) | Ksha-mik-ka-nam |
| Saraiki | معاف کرو (Maaf karo) | Maaf karo |
| Hausa (Ghanaian) | Yi hakuri | Yee ha-koo-ree |
| Uzbek (Northern) | Kechirasiz | Keh-chi-ra-siz |
| Yoruba | E ma binu | Eh ma bee-noo |
| Oriya | କ୍ଷମା କର (Kshamā kara) | Ksha-maa ka-ra |
| Fula | Aminal | A-mee-nal |
| Romanian (Moldovan) | Îmi pare rău | Eem pare rau |
| Balochi | بخشگ (Bakhshag) | Bakh-shag |
| Kazakh | Кешіріңіз (Keshiriniz) | Ke-shee-ree-neez |
| Sindhi (Singaporean) | معاف ڪريو (Maaf karyo) | Maaf ka-ryo |
| Hebrew | סליחה (Slicha) | Sli-kha |
| Lao | ຂໍໂທດ (Kho thot) | Kho thot |
| Bulgarian | Извинете (Izvinete) | Iz-vi-ne-te |
| Tunisian Arabic | سمحني (Samhni) | Samh-nee |
| Slovak | Prepáčte | Preh-pach-te |
| Belarusian | Пробачце (Prabachce) | Pro-bach-tse |
| Sesotho | Ke kopa tšoarelo | Ke ko-pa cho-a-re-lo |
| Lithuanian | Atsiprašau | At-see-pra-show |
| Slovenian | Oprosti | O-pro-stee |
| Latvian | Piedodiet | Pee-e-do-dyet |
| Tajik | Бубахшед (Bubakhshed) | Boo-bakh-shed |
| Bosnian | Oprostite | O-pros-tee-te |
| Catalan | Perdó | Per-doh |
| Croatian | Oprosti | O-pro-stee |
| Georgian | ბოდიში (Bodishi) | Bo-dee-shee |
| Ewe | Meɖekuku | Me-deh-koo-koo |
| Macedonian | Извини (Izvini) | Iz-vee-nee |
| Fijian | Vosoti Au | Vo-so-tee Au |
| Maltese | Skużani | Skoo-za-nee |
| Tigrinya | ይቅርታ (Yik’rta) | Yik’r-ta |
| Greenlandic | Utoqqatsissutiga | U-toq-qa-tsis-su-ti-ga |
| Montenegrin | Izvini | Iz-vee-nee |
| Tibetan | གོམས་པ་ (Gompa) | Gom-pa |
| Tswana | Ke kopa tshwarelo | Ke ko-pa tshwa-re-lo |
| Luxembourgish | Pardon | Par-don |
| Quechua | Pampachay | Pampa-chay |
| Shona | Ndozvidemba | N-do-zvi-dem-ba |
| Guarani | Añete | Ahn-yeh-teh |
How to Pronounce Sorry in Different Languages
Apologizing sincerely in a foreign language can be daunting, especially if you’re worried about getting the pronunciation wrong.
That’s where this video comes in handy. It demonstrates how to say ‘sorry’ in various languages, complementing the phonetic spellings provided above and making it easier to share your apologies.
Before You Go…
Apologizing is a powerful way to mend misunderstandings, but knowing how to ask ‘how are you’ afterwards can help rebuild bridges. My guide on saying ‘how are you’ in 100 languages will equip you with the perfect follow-up to any apology.
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- How to Say Thank You in All Languages (100 Most Common)
- 100 Ways To Say How Are You in Different Languages
- 100 Ways to Say Cheers in Other Languages (For Travelers)
- How to Say I Love You in Different Languages & Countries
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