Learn Japanese – My Sincerest Apologies

Learn Japanese rapidly! There are times when you need to apologize. It’s hard enough to say you’re sorry, but not knowing whether to do it in formal or informal Japanese can make a tough situation even worse! Depending on whether you’re at work or speaking to a close friend, you’ll use Japanese very differently. This Beginner Japanese article is so important! It will help you master informal and formal Japanese with real-world examples, such as how to apologize the right way. In addition to user-friendly charts that’ll help you understand formal and informal Japanese, you’ll learn must-have Japanese vocabulary words such as kaimono (“shopping”). This is a great Japanese article that you’re sure to love!
Vocabulary: In this article, you’ll learn the following words and phrases:
Shuppatsu – “leaving, departure”
jikan – “time”
basu – “bus”
noru – “to ride, to take, to get on” (verb 1)
wasuremono – “something forgotten, lost article”
miyage – “souvenir, present”
kaimono – “shopping”
takusan – “many, a lot, much”
shitsumon – “question”
Mooshiwake arimasen. – “I’m sorry.”
Grammar: In this article, you’ll learn the following words and phrases:
Useful Vocabulary and Phrases
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wasuremono – “forgotten object”
kaimono – “shopping”
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Both wasuremono and kaimono become verbs when they are followed by -o suru or -suru.
For Example:

1. wasuremono ( o ) suru “to forget something” (literally, “to do lost article”)
2. kaimono ( o ) suru “to go shopping” (literally, “to do shopping”)

Sample Sentences:

1. Wasuremono o shimashita. “I forgot something.”
2. O-miyage-ya de kaimono o shimashita. “I did some shopping at a souvenir shop.”

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noru – “to ride, to get on, to take”
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We mark the transportation one takes with the particle ni. The opposite word is oriru. However, we mark the transportation one is taking with the particle o.
For more information, see Nihongo Doojoo Beginner Series Article 19.
Transportation / Particle / Noru orOriru
Basu / ni / noru (norimasu)
Densha / ni / noru (norimasu)
Chikatestu / ni / noru (norimasu)
Takushii / ni / noru (norimasu)
Jinrikisha / ni / noru (norimasu)
Basu / o / oriru (orimasu)
Densha / o / oriru (orimasu)
Chikatestu / o / oriru (orimasu)
Takushii / o / oriru (orimasu)
Jinrikisha / o / oriru (orimasu)
For Example:

1. Tookyoo-eki de Yamanote-sen ni notte kudasai. “Take the Yamanote-line at Tokyo station.”
2. Tookyoo-eki de Yamanote-sen o orite kudasai. “Get off from the Yamanote-line at Tokyo station.”

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Mooshiwake arimasen. – “My apologies.”
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The literal meaning of mooshiwake arimasen is “there is no room for excuse.” By saying this phrase, the speaker is technically admitting one’s fault for something. In more formal situations, we use gozaimasen (“doesn’t exist”) instead of arimasen. Gozaimasen is a humble form of arimasen.
*Expressing apologies
For more information, see Nihongo Doojoo Newbie Series Welcome to Style You, Article 10
See the following to review the formality.

1. Mooshiwake gozaimasen. Very formal. We use this phrase to express apologies in a business situation.
2. Mooshiwake arimasen. Formal. We use this to express apologies in a business situation, but it’s less formal than Mooshiwake gozaimasen.
3. Mooshiwake nai desu. Less formal than Mooshiwake arimasen, but it’s still a formal expression.
4. Mooshiwake nai. Informal. We cannot use this in a formal situation.

Grammar Review

In this article, we are going to learn more about formal and informal speech by reviewing the past negative form of a verb.
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“I don’t have time.”
Formal: Jikan ga arimasen deshita.
Informal: Jikan ga nakatta.
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How to create the formal past negative form of a verb:

1. Change the verb into its corresponding –masu form.
2. Drop –masu and add –masen deshita.

For more information, see Nihongo Doojoo Newbie Series Style You and Beyond Article 23

Verb Conjugation of Formal Forms:

Dictionary Form / Non-Past (-masu form) / Non-past Negative / Past / Past Negative

kau / kaimasu / kaimasen / kaimashita / kaimasendeshita

aru / arimasu / arimasen / arimashita / arimasendeshita

How to create the informal past negative form of a verb:

1. Change the verb into its corresponding –nai form.
2. Drop -i and add -katta.

Verb Conjugation of Informal Forms

Class 1 Verbs:

Non-Past (Dictionary Form) / Non-Past Negative / Past (-ta form) / Past Negative

kau / kawanai / katta / kawanakatta

iku / ikanai / itta / ikanakatta

kaku / kakanai / kaita / kakanakatta

hanasu / hanasanai / hanashita / hanasanakatta

Class 2 Verbs:

Non-Past (Dictionary Form) / Non-Past Negative / Past (-ta form) / Past Negative

taberu / tabenai / tabeta / tabenakatta

neru / nenai / neta / nenakatta

Class 3 Verbs:

Non-Past (Dictionary Form) / Non-Past Negative / Past (-ta form) / Past Negative

suru / shinai / shita / shinakatta

kuru / konai / kita / konakatta

Exception!!!

Aru means, “exist.” However, the informal non-past negative form is not aranai, but nai.Non-Past (Dictionary Form) / Non-Past Negative / Past (-ta form) / Past Negative

aru / nai / atta / nakatta

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Practice 1

Fill in the blanks and complete the informal verb conjugation chart.

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“English” / Non-Past (dictionary form) / Non-Past Negative / Past (-ta form) / Past Negative

“to wait” / matsu / matanai / ___ / ___

“to die” / shinu / ___ / shinda / ___

“to call” / yobu / ___ / ___ / ___

“to ride” / ___ / noranai / ___ / ___

“to eat” / ___ / ___ / tabeta / ___

“to look” / miru / ___ / ___ / minakatta

“to do” / ___ / ___ / ___ / ___

“to come” / ___ / ___ / ___ / ___

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Practice 2

Please rewrite the sentences in informal form.

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1. Watashi wa hiru-gohan o tabemasendeshita. _____________________________________________________________________
2. O-miyage o kaimasen deshita. _____________________________________________________________________
3. Wakarimasen dehsita. _____________________________________________________________________
4. O-kane ga arimasen deshita. _____________________________________________________________________

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Please rewrite the sentences in formal form.
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1. Kamakura ni ikanakatta. _____________________________________________________________________
2. Kankoo shinakatta. _____________________________________________________________________
3. Densha ni noranakatta. _____________________________________________________________________