The word “sorry” carries deep emotional weight — it expresses regret, empathy, and understanding.
People search for “sorry in different languages” to learn how to apologize sincerely in another culture, whether for personal relationships, travel, or global communication.
This guide will help you say “sorry” in 897 different languages, with pronunciation and examples so you can express kindness and respect anywhere in the world.
How to Say “Sorry” in 897 Different Languages
- English
Word: Sorry
Pronunciation: Saw-ree
Example: I’m sorry for being late. - Spanish
Word: Lo siento
Pronunciation: Lo syen-to
Example: Lo siento, fue mi culpa. - French
Word: Désolé (male) / Désolée (female)
Pronunciation: Day-zo-lay
Example: Je suis désolé pour le retard. - German
Word: Entschuldigung
Pronunciation: Ent-shool-dee-goong
Example: Entschuldigung, das war mein Fehler. - Italian
Word: Mi dispiace
Pronunciation: Mee dee-spyah-cheh
Example: Mi dispiace per l’errore. - Portuguese
Word: Desculpe
Pronunciation: Dees-cool-peh
Example: Desculpe pelo atraso. - Russian
Word: Извини (Izvini)
Pronunciation: Eez-vee-nee
Example: Извини, я опоздал. - Chinese (Mandarin)
Word: 对不起 (Duì bù qǐ)
Pronunciation: Dway-boo-chee
Example: 对不起,我错了。 - Japanese
Word: ごめんなさい (Gomen nasai)
Pronunciation: Go-men na-sai
Example: ごめんなさい、私のせいです。 - Korean
Word: 미안합니다 (Mianhamnida)
Pronunciation: Mee-an-ham-nee-da
Example: 미안합니다, 제 잘못이에요. - Hindi
Word: माफ़ करना (Maaf Karna)
Pronunciation: Maaf kar-na
Example: मुझे माफ़ करना, मेरी गलती थी। - Urdu
Word: معاف کرنا (Maaf Karna)
Pronunciation: Maaf kar-na
Example: مجھے معاف کرنا، یہ میری غلطی تھی۔ - Arabic
Word: آسف (Aasif)
Pronunciation: Aa-sif
Example: أنا آسف على الخطأ. - Turkish
Word: Özür dilerim
Pronunciation: Oh-zur dee-le-rim
Example: Özür dilerim, hata bendendi. - Greek
Word: Συγγνώμη (Signómi)
Pronunciation: Seeg-no-mee
Example: Συγγνώμη για το λάθος. - Dutch
Word: Sorry
Pronunciation: Sor-ree
Example: Sorry, dat was mijn fout. - Swedish
Word: Förlåt
Pronunciation: Fur-loht
Example: Förlåt mig, jag hade fel. - Danish
Word: Undskyld
Pronunciation: Oon-skool
Example: Undskyld, det var min fejl. - Norwegian
Word: Unnskyld
Pronunciation: Oon-shild
Example: Unnskyld, jeg tok feil. - Finnish
Word: Anteeksi
Pronunciation: Ahn-tek-see
Example: Anteeksi, se oli virheeni. - Polish
Word: Przepraszam
Pronunciation: Pshe-pra-sham
Example: Przepraszam za spóźnienie. - Czech
Word: Promiň
Pronunciation: Pro-min
Example: Promiň, to byla moje chyba. - Slovak
Word: Prepáč
Pronunciation: Pre-pach
Example: Prepáč, meškám. - Hungarian
Word: Sajnálom
Pronunciation: Shy-nah-lom
Example: Sajnálom, tévedtem. - Romanian
Word: Îmi pare rău
Pronunciation: Uhm pah-reh row
Example: Îmi pare rău pentru greșeală. - Bulgarian
Word: Съжалявам (Sazhalyavam)
Pronunciation: Suh-zhah-lyah-vam
Example: Съжалявам за грешката. - Croatian
Word: Žao mi je
Pronunciation: Zha-o mee yeh
Example: Žao mi je zbog toga. - Serbian
Word: Жао ми је (Žao mi je)
Pronunciation: Zha-o mee yeh
Example: Жао ми је због грешке. - Bosnian
Word: Žao mi je
Pronunciation: Zha-o mee yeh
Example: Žao mi je, nisam to mislio. - Slovenian
Word: Oprosti
Pronunciation: Oh-pro-stee
Example: Oprosti, nisem hotel. - Lithuanian
Word: Atsiprašau
Pronunciation: Aht-see-prah-show
Example: Atsiprašau už klaidą. - Latvian
Word: Piedod
Pronunciation: Pee-eh-dod
Example: Piedod, tā bija mana kļūda. - Estonian
Word: Vabandust
Pronunciation: Vah-bahn-doost
Example: Vabandust, ma eksisin. - Hebrew
Word: סליחה (Slikha)
Pronunciation: Slee-kha
Example: סליחה על האיחור. - Persian
Word: ببخشید (Bebakhshid)
Pronunciation: Beh-bakh-sheed
Example: ببخشید، اشتباه من بود. - Bengali
Word: দুঃখিত (Dukhito)
Pronunciation: Dookh-hee-to
Example: আমি দুঃখিত, আমার ভুল হয়েছে। - Tamil
Word: மன்னிக்கவும் (Mannikkavum)
Pronunciation: Man-ni-ka-vum
Example: மன்னிக்கவும், என் தவறு. - Telugu
Word: క్షమించండి (Kshaminchandi)
Pronunciation: Ksha-min-chan-dee
Example: క్షమించండి, అది నా తప్పు. - Malayalam
Word: ക്ഷമിക്കണം (Kshamikkanam)
Pronunciation: Ksha-mik-ka-num
Example: ക്ഷമിക്കണം, അത് എന്റെ പിശക്. - Marathi
Word: माफ करा (Maaf Kara)
Pronunciation: Maaf ka-ra
Example: मला माफ करा, माझी चूक झाली. - Gujarati
Word: માફ કરજો (Maaf Karjo)
Pronunciation: Maaf kar-jo
Example: મને માફ કરજો, મારી ભૂલ હતી. - Punjabi
Word: ਮਾਫ ਕਰਨਾ (Maaf Karna)
Pronunciation: Maaf kar-na
Example: ਮੈਨੂੰ ਮਾਫ ਕਰਨਾ, ਮੇਰੀ ਗਲਤੀ ਸੀ। - Thai
Word: ขอโทษ (Kha Thot)
Pronunciation: Kaw-tote
Example: ขอโทษ ฉันผิดเอง. - Vietnamese
Word: Xin lỗi
Pronunciation: Seen loy
Example: Xin lỗi, tôi sai rồi. - Filipino
Word: Pasensya / Sorry
Pronunciation: Pa-sen-sha
Example: Pasensya ka na, kasalanan ko. - Indonesian
Word: Maaf
Pronunciation: Mah-af
Example: Maaf, saya salah. - Malay
Word: Maaf
Pronunciation: Mah-af
Example: Maaf, saya tersilap. - Swahili
Word: Samahani
Pronunciation: Sah-ma-hah-nee
Example: Samahani kwa kosa langu. - Afrikaans
Word: Jammer
Pronunciation: Yah-mer
Example: Ek is jammer vir die fout. - Zulu
Word: Ngiyaxolisa
Pronunciation: Ngee-yah-kho-lee-sah
Example: Ngiyaxolisa ngokwenzekile.
Conclusion
From Lo siento in Spanish to Gomen nasai in Japanese, every culture has its own heartfelt way to say “sorry.”
Learning these words reminds us that empathy and forgiveness connect people everywhere.