申し訳

• 読み: もうしわけ
• ローマ字: moushiwake
• 漢字の分解: 申 (shin/mō) — humbly say; 訳 (yaku/wake) — reason, explanation
• 発音: /moː.ɕi.wa.ke/

意味

Apology; excuse. Most commonly used in the expression 'there is no excuse' to convey sincere regret.

A noun most frequently encountered in the set phrases 申し訳ない (informal) and 申し訳ありません / 申し訳ございません (formal). Literally means 'something to say in one's defence.' When negated (申し訳ない), it becomes one of the most important apology expressions in Japanese, conveying that one has no excuse for the inconvenience caused.

例文

1. 遅れてしまい、申し訳ありません。
2. 申し訳ないけど、明日の予定を変更してもいい？
3. お客様にご迷惑をおかけして、申し訳ございません。

使い方ガイド

場面: apologies, business, customer service

トーン: apologetic

起源と歴史

Compound of 申す (mōsu, humble form of 'to say') and 訳 (wake, reason/explanation). Literally 'something to humbly state as an explanation' — when negated, it means there is nothing one can say to justify the situation.

文化的背景

時代: Classical

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal