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抱歉

bào qiàn
HSK 2.0 Level 4 HSK 3.0 Level 4 Adjective Very common

Definitions

  1. 1. to be sorry
  2. 2. to feel apologetic
  3. 3. sorry!

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Word relationships

Related words

1 item
遗憾
yí hàn

regret

Regret, but more formal and less personal than 抱歉

Synonyms

1 item
对不起
duì bu qǐ

I'm sorry; excuse me; I beg your pardon

Expressing apology or regret for a minor mistake or inconvenience

Usage notes

Common mistakes

抱歉 is often used for smaller, less serious offenses; 对不起 carries a stronger sense of personal fault. Using 抱歉 for a serious mistake may sound insufficiently remorseful.

Example Sentences

4 shown
实在 抱歉 ，我迟到了。
I'm really sorry I'm late.
抱歉 ？
Source: Tatoeba.org (ID 7767606)
抱歉 ！
Source: Tatoeba.org (ID 7767997)
湯姆， 抱歉 ，我沒時間閒聊。
Source: Tatoeba.org (ID 13109369)

Sentence data courtesy of Tatoeba.org. AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Child Words of 抱歉

抱
bào

to carry (in one's arms)

歉
qiàn

to apologize