Lesson 3: Thank You and Sorry ありがとうございます・すみません — Thank You and Sorry in Japanese
⏱️ About 25 minutes ／ 📊 Level: Beginner (N5) ／ 🗣️ Speaking + Reading
Before You Start
In this beginner Japanese lesson, you will learn how to say “thank you,” “sorry,” and “excuse me” in daily situations. These Japanese phrases are very useful for polite Japanese conversation, especially when talking to teachers, store staff, coworkers, and people you do not know well.
What you’ll learn:
- Say “thank you” politely — ありがとうございます
- Say “thanks” casually — ありがとう
- Say “sorry” or “excuse me” — すみません
- Use ごめんなさい in personal situations
- Respond with だいじょうぶです, どういたしまして, or いえいえ
1. Key Phrases ／ きほんのフレーズ
2. Basic Thank You and Sorry ／ きほんのつかいかた
In daily Japanese, these two expressions are very important. For beginners, they are safe and useful in many real-life situations.
EXAMPLE
B: ありがとうございます。
A: Here you are. / B: Thank you.
EXAMPLE
B: はい。
A: Excuse me. / B: Yes?
3. Phrase Notes ／ ポイント
Don’t use casual phrases with people you do not know well. For example, ありがとう is friendly, but ありがとうございます is safer with teachers, store staff, older people, and people you meet for the first time.
4. Conversation Practice ／ かいわ
💬 Conversation 1 — Thank You
💬 Conversation 2 — Excuse Me
💬 Conversation 3 — Sorry
💬 Conversation 4 — Casual Thanks
5. Vocabulary ／ たんご
| Japanese | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
| ありがとう | arigatoo | thanks |
| ありがとうございます | arigatoo gozaimasu | thank you |
| すみません | sumimasen | sorry / excuse me |
| ごめんなさい | gomennasai | I’m sorry |
| だいじょうぶ | daijoobu | okay |
| どうぞ | doozo | here you are / please |
| はい | hai | yes |
| いいえ | iie | no |
| あちら | achira | over there |
| トイレ | toire | restroom / toilet |
6. Check Your Understanding ／ クイズ
Think about each question first. The answer and explanation are shown below each one.
Q1. How do you say “Thank you” politely in Japanese?
ありがとうございます means “thank you” and is polite. こんばんは means “good evening,” and さようなら means “goodbye.”
Q2. What can you say when you want to get someone’s attention?
Use すみません to mean “excuse me” when you want to get someone’s attention in Japanese conversation.
Q3. What can you say when someone says すみません or ごめんなさい?
だいじょうぶです means “It’s okay.” It is a good response when someone apologizes.
Q4. Which expression is better when you thank your teacher?
With teachers, store staff, older people, and people you meet for the first time, polite expressions are safer. Use ありがとうございます.
7. Speaking Practice ／ はなすれんしゅう
Practice these beginner Japanese phrases aloud three times. Then choose the best phrase for each situation.
🚀 Mini Mission
Today’s mission: Use one Japanese phrase for “thank you” or “sorry” today.
Try saying ありがとうございます, すみません, ごめんなさい, or だいじょうぶです.
I said it to:
📘 Review ／ まとめ
In this lesson, you learned how to say “thank you,” “sorry,” and “excuse me” in Japanese. These phrases are important for polite beginner Japanese and JLPT N5 level daily conversation.
すみません。
だいじょうぶです。
💡 One takeaway tip: Use ありがとうございます for “thank you,” すみません for “excuse me” or “sorry,” and だいじょうぶです for “it’s okay.” When you are not sure, polite expressions are safer.
FAQ
Want to Practice with a Teacher?
Want to use ありがとうございます and すみません naturally in real Japanese conversation? A professional teacher can help you practice polite and casual expressions step by step in a free trial lesson.
Online or in-person — both available on request.