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How to say 'Excuse' in Japanese | 言い訳

Wondering how to say 'Excuse' in Japanese? You're in the right place!

The Japanese word for Excuse is 'Iiwake', written as 言い訳 in Japanese.'Excuse' in hiragana is いいわけ.

    word

    言い訳

    Meaning

    Excuse

    Reading

    いいわけ

    iiwake

    Kanji

    言Say 訳Reason, Translation

    Explanation

    The Japanese verbal noun '言い訳 (いいわけ)' means 'excuse'. It refers to a reason or explanation given to justify or defend one's actions, often to avoid blame or responsibility. This word is commonly used in situations where someone is trying to explain away a mistake or failure. For example: He made an excuse for being late「彼は遅れた言い訳をした」(かれはおくれたいいわけをした). Don't give me excuses「言い訳をしないで」(いいわけをしないで). It can also imply a sense of insincerity or reluctance to take accountability, depending on the context.

    Part Of Speech

    verbal noun

    Kanji JLPT

    N1

    Kanji Grade

    6

    Frequency

    4028

    Composition

    kanji-hiragana

    Handwriting

Kanji in the Word 言い訳

This word contains 2 kanji characters:

  • kanji

    言

    Meaning

    Say

  • kanji

    訳

    Meaning

    Reason, Translation

Hiragana in the Word 言い訳

This word contains 1 Hiragana character :

  • hiragana

    い

    Reading

    I

Words Related to 言い訳 Through the Kanji 言

These 26 Words contain the Kanji 言 as well.

  • word

    言う

    Meaning

    Say

  • word

    言葉

    Meaning

    Word

  • word

    言い方

    Meaning

    Way of speaking

  • word

    言語

    Meaning

    Language

  • word

    発言

    Meaning

    Statement

  • word

    一言

    Meaning

    Word

  • word

    言わば

    Meaning

    So to speak

  • word

    言い出す

    Meaning

    Start saying

  • word

    宣言

    Meaning

    Declaration

  • word

    言い返す

    Meaning

    Retort

  • word

    言い表わす

    Meaning

    Express

  • word

    言論

    Meaning

    Discussion, Speech

  • word

    言付ける

    Meaning

    Entrust

  • word

    証言

    Meaning

    Testimony

  • word

    遺言

    Meaning

    Will

  • word

    言葉遣い

    Meaning

    Wording

  • word

    書き言葉

    Meaning

    Written language

  • word

    方言

    Meaning

    Dialect

  • word

    言い替える

    Meaning

    Rephrase

  • word

    無言

    Meaning

    Silence

  • word

    予言

    Meaning

    Prophecy

  • word

    言

    Meaning

    Word

  • word

    言及

    Meaning

    Mention

  • word

    独り言

    Meaning

    Soliloquy

  • word

    話し言葉

    Meaning

    Spoken language

  • word

    伝言

    Meaning

    Message

Words Related to 言い訳 Through the Kanji 訳

These 6 Words contain the Kanji 訳 as well.

  • word

    訳

    Meaning

    Reason, Meaning

  • word

    申し訳

    Meaning

    Apology

  • word

    訳す

    Meaning

    Translate

  • word

    翻訳

    Meaning

    Translation

  • word

    通訳

    Meaning

    Interpretation

  • word

    申し訳ない

    Meaning

    Apologetic

Learn the Word 言い訳

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What does 'Iiwake' (言い訳) mean?

'Iiwake' means 'Excuse' .

To help you master this word, here's an interactive lesson where you'll practice its readings and meanings.