抱歉

bào qiàn

HSK 2.0 Level 4 HSK 3.0 Level 4 Adjective Very common

Definitions

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

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