すみません (Sumimasen): How to Say “Excuse Me” in Japanese

You are in a train station and cannot find the right platform. Someone nearby might be able to help.

Before asking your question, say すみません. It politely gets the person’s attention:

Then ask what you need. The question follows straight on from すみません:

For a beginner, すみません (sumimasen) is one of the most useful Japanese phrases you can learn. It can get someone’s attention, politely interrupt them, or acknowledge that you have caused them a small inconvenience.

Start with the most useful meaning: “Excuse me”

Imagine you need help at a station. Instead of immediately asking where the station is, you can first get the person’s attention with すみません and then ask:

1. えきはどこですかEki wa doko desu ka.Where is the station?
2. すみません。えきはどこですかSumimasen. Eki wa doko desu ka.Excuse me. Where is the station?

This gives you a useful pattern to remember: すみません + your question. The same opening works before any simple question:

1. すみません。トイレはどこですかSumimasen. Toire wa doko desu ka.Excuse me. Where is the toilet?
2. すみません。なんじですかSumimasen. Nanji desu ka.Excuse me. What time is it?

At this stage, you do not need a complicated opening. すみません gives you a simple way to begin.

Use すみません to get someone’s attention

You are in a café and need to speak to a member of staff. You can simply say:

You are in a shop and want to ask about an item:

And when you need directions, the opening is the same:

In all three situations, すみません opens the interaction rather than carrying the main information itself.

すみません can also mean “I’m sorry”

Now imagine you accidentally bump into someone. You can say the very same phrase:

The Japanese phrase has not changed, but its job has.

When you approach someone because you need their attention, すみません (sumimasen) means “Excuse me.” When you have caused a small problem or inconvenience, すみません (sumimasen) means “I’m sorry.”

English often uses two different phrases. Japanese can use すみません in both situations, and context tells you which meaning is intended.

A simple station conversation

You need to find the toilet. You start the exchange, and a member of staff answers:

1. すみませんSumimasen.Excuse me.
2. はいHai.Yes?
3. トイレはどこですかToire wa doko desu ka.Where is the toilet?
4. あそこですAsoko desu.It is over there.
5. ありがとうございますArigatou gozaimasu.Thank you very much.

The lines alternate between you and the staff member: you open with すみません, they respond with はい, you ask, they point, and you thank them.

Start with すみません (sumimasen), ask your question, then finish with ありがとうございます (arigatou gozaimasu). Get attention, ask what you need, then thank the person.

すみません is not the same as ありがとう

Because すみません can acknowledge an inconvenience, you may sometimes hear it in situations where an English speaker might instinctively say “thank you.”

But beginners should not simply memorize すみません = thank you. The core idea is different. ありがとうございます directly expresses thanks:

すみません, by contrast, can acknowledge that you have interrupted someone, inconvenienced them, or received help that involved some trouble for them:

If someone gives you directions, a straightforward beginner response is ありがとうございます.

すみません vs ごめんなさい

You may also know ごめんなさい (gomennasai), “I’m sorry.” Both すみません and ごめんなさい can be apologies, but they are not identical phrases.

For your first Japanese interactions, remember this practical distinction. すみません (sumimasen) is especially useful when approaching, interrupting, or inconveniencing someone. ごめんなさい (gomennasai) is an apology and does not do the same everyday job of politely getting a stranger’s attention.

So at a station, this is the useful line:

Do not replace it with ごめんなさい just because both phrases can sometimes translate as “sorry.”

すみません vs おねがいします

Another phrase beginners meet early is おねがいします (onegaishimasu): “Please” or “I request it.” It does a different job.

Suppose you did not hear someone. You might ask them to repeat it:

But if you first need to get that person’s attention, you start with すみません. So the two phrases can even work together:

すみません opens the interaction. おねがいします makes the request.

Common mistake: treating すみません as only an apology

You learn すみません as “I’m sorry,” then assume you need another phrase for “excuse me.” But すみません is exactly what you can use in many everyday situations when you need to get someone’s attention: at a station, at a shop, or before asking someone for directions.

Learning this use makes the phrase far more practical than treating it as just “sorry.”

Common mistake: saying only すみません when you still need something

Imagine you are lost. You approach someone and say すみません. That gets their attention, but you still need to ask your question. Continue straight on:

Think of すみません as the door into the conversation, not necessarily the whole conversation.

Practise the phrase in real situations

Situation 1: You need directions

Situation 2: You need the toilet

Situation 3: You did not hear someone

Situation 4: You accidentally bump into someone

The phrase stays the same. The situation changes what it is doing.

Choose the best phrase

1. You want to politely get a stranger’s attention before asking for directions.

• A. すみません。
• B. ありがとうございます。

Answer: A. すみません。

2. You have received the directions and want to say “thank you very much.”

• A. ごめんなさい。
• B. ありがとうございます。

Answer: B. ありがとうございます。

3. You accidentally bump into someone.

• A. すみません。
• B. どこですか。

Answer: A. すみません。

4. You want someone to repeat what they said.

• A. もういちどおねがいします。
• B. ありがとうございます。

Answer: A. もういちどおねがいします。

Build a complete interaction

Practise this sequence aloud: get attention, ask, then thank.

1. すみませんSumimasen.Excuse me.
2. トイレはどこですかToire wa doko desu ka.Where is the toilet?
3. ありがとうございますArigatou gozaimasu.Thank you very much.

Now change only the thing you are looking for:

The useful habit is not simply memorizing すみません by itself. It is learning to use it as the beginning of an interaction.

When you need a stranger’s attention, start with すみません, then say what you actually need.

Continue learning

Once you have someone’s attention, learn how to ask for a location with How to Ask “Where Is…?” in Japanese – どこですか for Beginners.

If you miss what someone says, continue with How to Ask Someone to Say It Again in Japanese – もういちどおねがいします.

If you cannot understand even after repetition, use How to Say “I Don’t Understand” in Japanese – わかりません.