The word “sorry” is one of the most important expressions in human interaction. It helps heal misunderstandings, shows humility, and brings people closer by acknowledging mistakes. Across cultures, “sorry” can take slightly different tones—formal, casual, or affectionate—but the intent remains the same: an apology. If you’re looking for how to say sorry in different languages, here’s a complete list of 70 translations with pronunciation and example sentences.
How to Say “Sorry” in 70 Different Languages
- Spanish 🇪🇸 – lo siento | loh SYEN-toh
Lo siento por llegar tarde. (Sorry for being late.) - French 🇫🇷 – désolé | day-zo-LAY
Je suis désolé. (I am sorry.) - Italian 🇮🇹 – mi dispiace | mee dee-SPYAH-cheh
Mi dispiace tanto. (I’m very sorry.) - Portuguese 🇵🇹 – desculpa | des-KOOL-pah
Desculpa pelo erro. (Sorry for the mistake.) - German 🇩🇪 – es tut mir leid | ess toot meer lite
Es tut mir leid. (I’m sorry.) - Dutch 🇳🇱 – sorry | SOR-ree
Sorry voor het misverstand. (Sorry for the misunderstanding.) - Russian 🇷🇺 – извини (izvini) | eez-vee-NEE
Извини за опоздание. (Sorry for being late.) - Polish 🇵🇱 – przepraszam | psheh-PRAH-shahm
Przepraszam za błąd. (Sorry for the mistake.) - Czech 🇨🇿 – promiň | PROH-min
Promiň, to byla chyba. (Sorry, that was a mistake.) - Slovak 🇸🇰 – prepáč | preh-PAACH
Prepáč za meškanie. (Sorry for being late.) - Hungarian 🇭🇺 – bocsánat | BOH-chah-naht
Bocsánat a zavarásért. (Sorry for the disturbance.) - Finnish 🇫🇮 – anteeksi | AHN-tehk-see
Anteeksi, en kuullut. (Sorry, I didn’t hear.) - Swedish 🇸🇪 – förlåt | fer-LOHT
Förlåt mig. (Forgive me / Sorry.) - Norwegian 🇳🇴 – unnskyld | OON-shild
Unnskyld for feilen. (Sorry for the mistake.) - Danish 🇩🇰 – undskyld | OON-skyld
Undskyld for forsinkelsen. (Sorry for the delay.) - Icelandic 🇮🇸 – fyrirgefðu | FEE-rir-gef-thoo
Fyrirgefðu, ég var seinn. (Sorry, I was late.) - Irish 🇮🇪 – tá brón orm | taw brohn ur-um
Tá brón orm as sin. (I’m sorry for that.) - Scottish Gaelic 🏴 – tha mi duilich | ha mee DOO-lich
Tha mi duilich airson sin. (I’m sorry for that.) - Welsh 🏴 – mae’n ddrwg gen i | mine throog gen ee
Mae’n ddrwg gen i am y camgymeriad. (Sorry for the mistake.) - Greek 🇬🇷 – συγγνώμη (signómi) | see-GNOH-mee
Συγγνώμη για την αργοπορία. (Sorry for the delay.) - Turkish 🇹🇷 – üzgünüm | UUZ-goo-noom
Üzgünüm, hata yaptım. (I’m sorry, I made a mistake.) - Arabic 🇸🇦 – آسف (aasif) [m], آسفة (aasifa) [f] | AA-sef / AA-se-fa
أنا آسف. (I’m sorry.) - Hebrew 🇮🇱 – סליחה (slicha) | slee-KHAH
סליחה על האיחור. (Sorry for the delay.) - Persian 🇮🇷 – ببخشید (bebakhshid) | beh-BAKH-sheed
ببخشید دیر کردم. (Sorry I was late.) - Urdu 🇵🇰 – معاف کیجیے (maaf kijiye) | maaf KEE-jyeh
معاف کیجیے گا۔ (Sorry.) - Hindi 🇮🇳 – माफ कीजिए (maaf kijiye) | maaf KEE-jyeh
माफ कीजिए, मेरी गलती थी। (Sorry, it was my fault.) - Bengali 🇧🇩 – দুঃখিত (dukkhito) | DOOKH-hi-toh
আমি দুঃখিত। (I am sorry.) - Punjabi 🇮🇳🇵🇰 – ਮਾਫ ਕਰਨਾ (maaf karna) | maaf KAR-nah
ਮਾਫ ਕਰਨਾ ਜੀ। (Sorry.) - Gujarati 🇮🇳 – માફ કરશો (maaf karsho) | maaf KAR-sho
માફ કરશો મારી ભૂલ માટે. (Sorry for my mistake.) - Marathi 🇮🇳 – माफ करा (maaf kara) | maaf kah-RAH
माफ करा उशिरासाठी. (Sorry for the delay.) - Tamil 🇮🇳 – மன்னிக்கவும் (mannikkavum) | MAN-nee-kah-vum
மன்னிக்கவும், என் தவறு. (Sorry, my mistake.) - Telugu 🇮🇳 – క్షమించండి (kshaminchandi) | ksha-MIN-chan-dee
క్షమించండి ఆలస్యమైంది. (Sorry, I was late.) - Kannada 🇮🇳 – ಕ್ಷಮಿಸಿ (kshamisi) | KSHAH-mee-see
ಕ್ಷಮಿಸಿ, ಅದು ತಪ್ಪಾಗಿದೆ. (Sorry, that was wrong.) - Malayalam 🇮🇳 – ക്ഷമിക്കണം (kshamikkanam) | ksha-MEE-ka-nam
ക്ഷമിക്കണം, ഞാൻ വൈകി. (Sorry, I was late.) - Sinhala 🇱🇰 – සමාවන්න (samavanna) | sah-MAH-vahn-nah
මට සමාවන්න. (Please forgive me / sorry.) - Thai 🇹🇭 – ขอโทษ (khothot) | kor-TOHT
ขอโทษครับ. (I’m sorry.) - Vietnamese 🇻🇳 – xin lỗi | seen loy
Xin lỗi vì sự chậm trễ. (Sorry for the delay.) - Khmer 🇰🇭 – សុំទោស (somtoh) | som-TOH
សុំទោស ចំពោះកំហុស។ (Sorry for the mistake.) - Lao 🇱🇦 – ຂໍໂທດ (khothot) | kor-TOHT
ຂໍໂທດ ທີ່ຊ້າ. (Sorry for being late.) - Chinese (Mandarin) 🇨🇳 – 对不起 (duìbùqǐ) | dway-boo-CHEE
对不起，我迟到了。 (Sorry, I’m late.) - Japanese 🇯🇵 – ごめんなさい (gomen nasai) | go-MEN nah-SAI
ごめんなさい、私の失敗です。 (Sorry, it’s my mistake.) - Korean 🇰🇷 – 미안해요 (mianhaeyo) | MEE-ahn-hae-yo
미안해요 늦었어요. (Sorry, I’m late.) - Tagalog 🇵🇭 – pasensya | pah-SEN-sha
Pasensya na sa abala. (Sorry for the trouble.) - Indonesian 🇮🇩 – maaf | MAH-ahf
Maaf, saya terlambat. (Sorry, I’m late.) - Malay 🇲🇾 – maaf | MAH-ahf
Maaf atas kesalahan saya. (Sorry for my mistake.) - Mongolian 🇲🇳 – уучлаарай (uuchlaarai) | oo-CHLAA-rai
Уучлаарай, би хоцорлоо. (Sorry, I was late.) - Kazakh 🇰🇿 – кешіріңіз (keshiriniz) | keh-SHIH-ree-neez
Кешіріңіз кешіккенім үшін. (Sorry for being late.) - Uzbek 🇺🇿 – uzr | oo-ZR
Kechirasiz, xato qildim. (Sorry, I made a mistake.) - Kyrgyz 🇰🇬 – кечиресиз (kechiresiz) | keh-CHEER-eh-seez
Кечиресиз, кечиктим. (Sorry, I was late.) - Tajik 🇹🇯 – бахшиш (bakhshish) | bahkh-SHEESH
Бахшиш, ман дер кардам. (Sorry, I was late.) - Georgian 🇬🇪 – ბოდიში (bodishi) | boh-DEE-shee
ბოდიში დაგვიანებისთვის. (Sorry for the delay.) - Armenian 🇦🇲 – ներեցեք (neretsek) | neh-RET-sehk
Ներեցեք սխալի համար. (Sorry for the mistake.) - Azerbaijani 🇦🇿 – üzr istəyirəm | OOZ-eer eesh-tee-YEHR-em
Üzr istəyirəm, səhv etdim. (Sorry, I made a mistake.) - Swahili 🇹🇿 – pole | POH-leh
Pole kwa kuchelewa. (Sorry for being late.) - Zulu 🇿🇦 – ngiyaxolisa | ngee-yah-KHOH-lee-sah
Ngiyaxolisa, ngiphuzile. (Sorry, I was late.) - Xhosa 🇿🇦 – ndiyaxolisa | ndee-yah-KHOH-lee-sah
Ndiyaxolisa, ndiphazame. (Sorry, I made a mistake.) - Yoruba 🇳🇬 – má bínú | mah BEE-noo
Má bínú, ẹ jọ̀ọ́. (Sorry, please.) - Hausa 🇳🇬 – yi hakuri | yee HAH-koo-ree
Yi hakuri don kuskure. (Sorry for the mistake.) - Somali 🇸🇴 – waan ka xumahay | waan kah KHU-mah-hai
Waan ka xumahay daahitaanka. (Sorry for the delay.) - Amharic 🇪🇹 – አዝናለሁ (aznalew) | az-NAH-leh-hoo
አዝናለሁ ስህተት ሆነ. (Sorry, it was a mistake.) - Tigrinya 🇪🇷 – ኣዝየ (aziye) | ah-ZEE-yeh
- Afrikaans 🇿🇦 – jammer | YAH-mer
Jammer vir die fout. (Sorry for the mistake.) - Haitian Creole 🇭🇹 – eskize m | es-KEE-zeh m
Eskize m pou reta a. (Sorry for the delay.) - Jamaican Patois 🇯🇲 – mi sary | mee SAH-ree
Mi sary fi dat. (Sorry for that.) - Hawaiian 🇺🇸 – e kala mai | eh KAH-lah mai
E kala mai i ka hewa. (Sorry for the mistake.) - Maori 🇳🇿 – aroha mai | AH-roh-ha my
Aroha mai mō taku hē. (Sorry for my mistake.) - Samoan 🇼🇸 – fa’amalie atu | fah-ah-mah-LEE-ah too
Fa’amalie atu mo le tuai. (Sorry for the delay.) - Tongan 🇹🇴 – fakamolemole | fah-kah-MOH-leh-moh-leh
Fakamolemole he hala. (Sorry for the mistake.) - Fijian 🇫🇯 – vosoti au | voh-SOH-tee ow
Vosoti au na noqu cala. (Forgive me, I’m sorry.) - Esperanto 🌐 – pardonon | par-DOH-non
Pardonon pro la eraro. (Sorry for the mistake.)
Conclusion
Apologies are one of the strongest bridges between people. Whether you say lo siento in Spanish, gomen nasai in Japanese, or ngiyaxolisa in Zulu, the meaning is always the same: acknowledging fault and showing care. Saying “sorry” is not just about words—it’s about restoring trust and harmony. Across all 70 languages, the essence of an apology stays universal: it’s a way to heal hearts and strengthen bonds.
