How to say “sorry” in Chinese
Pinyin colour key: tone 1 (high flat), tone 2 (rising), tone 3 (dipping), tone 4 (falling), neutral.
Word by word
Tone tip
The middle 不 is unstressed and neutral here (duìbuqǐ). Use 对不起 for a genuine apology; 不好意思 (bù hǎoyìsi) is a lighter 'excuse me / my bad'.
In a sentence
对不起，我迟到了。
Duìbuqǐ, wǒ chídào le.
Sorry, I'm late.
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Start freeFrequently asked questions
How do you say "sorry" in Chinese?+
"sorry" in Mandarin Chinese is 对不起, pronounced duìbuqǐ. The middle 不 is unstressed and neutral here (duìbuqǐ). Use 对不起 for a genuine apology; 不好意思 (bù hǎoyìsi) is a lighter 'excuse me / my bad'.
What does 对不起 mean literally?+
对不起 breaks down as 对 (duì) = towards / facing, 不 (bu) = not (neutral here), 起 (qǐ) = to rise / face. Together it means "sorry".
How do I get the tones right in duìbuqǐ?+
The middle 不 is unstressed and neutral here (duìbuqǐ). Use 对不起 for a genuine apology; 不好意思 (bù hǎoyìsi) is a lighter 'excuse me / my bad'.
More phrases like this
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