sorry?????

[TheAce]

I learned a lot of Japanese by watching anime, but I am wondering what the difference is between:

warina
sumimasen
gomenasai

these 3 words all mean "I'm sorry", at least that's what the subtitles of the anime said
but what is the difference?

 

[Glenn]

Warii na comes from warui and the particle na. It's pretty informal, even a bit base. You can maybe get away with using it with really close friends, but I'd avoid it.

Sumimasen is a sort of light "sorry," and can be used for "excuse me," for instance if you bump into someone in a crowd or just want to get by, and can even be used in place of "thank you" if you feel like you have some fault in someone having to do something for you. It's mostly used for light offenses.

Gomen nasai is used for more serious offenses, but it has some overlap with sumimasen (or at least it feels that way to me).

 

[Elizabeth]

For many errors the apology of "gomennasai" and "sumimasen" can be used fairly interchangeably. Gomennasai is what your use for parents, children and friends, sometimes superiors and strangers. Sumimasen is more for people you don't know, but not necessarily. I just wouldn't use it for a something drastic like cheating or a relationship or getting caught in a crime, though.

 

[Toritoribe]

I recommend to use "moushiwake arimasen/gozaimasen" for the situation of "gomennasai" especially at work, if you're not kids.

 

[Elizabeth]

I recommend to use "moushiwake arimasen/gozaimasen" for the situation of "gomennasai" especially at work, if you're not kids.;-)

Oh, yes. You're right. "Gomen nasai" may be a serious breach of etiquette, not to mention common sense. Anything with "nasai" is off limits. I just repeated what I read somewhere from a business person without thinking.

Is "moshiwake arimasen deshita" a rough approximate or only a small step down, therefore, from moushiwake gozaimasen?"