How to say 'Permission' or 'Sorry' in Japanese | 御免

Wondering how to say 'Permission' or 'Sorry' in Japanese? You're in the right place!

The Japanese word for Permission or Sorry is 'Gomen', written as 御免 in Japanese.'Permission' or 'Sorry' in hiragana is ごめん.

word

御免

Meaning

Permission, Sorry

Reading

ごめん

gomen

Kanji

御Honorable, General honorific term 免Excuse, Exempt

Explanation

The Japanese noun '御免 (ごめん)' has two primary meanings. The first is 'sorry', often used in casual apologies, similar to 'ごめんなさい'. The second meaning is 'permission', used in formal contexts to request or grant permission. For example: Sorry for being late「遅れて御免」(おくれてごめん). May I have your permission?「御免をいただけますか？」(ごめんをいただけますか？). Note that '御免' is more formal and less commonly used in modern casual speech compared to 'ごめんなさい' for apologies.

Part Of Speech

noun

Kanji JLPT

Kanji Grade

Frequency

2280

Composition

kanji

Handwriting

Kanji in the Word 御免

This word contains 2 kanji characters:

kanji

御

Meaning

Honorable, General honorific term

kanji

免

Meaning

Excuse, Exempt

Words Related to 御免 Through the Kanji 御

These 11 Words contain the Kanji 御 as well.

word

御

Meaning

Honorific

word

御前

Meaning

You

word

御座る

Meaning

word

朝御飯

Meaning

Breakfast

word

御飯

Meaning

Rice, Meal

word

御陰

Meaning

Thanks

word

御腹

Meaning

Stomach

word

制御

Meaning

Control

word

御覧

Meaning

Look

word

御負け

Meaning

Bonus

word

御無沙汰

Meaning

Neglect

Words Related to 御免 Through the Kanji 免

These 5 Words contain the Kanji 免 as well.

word

免許証

Meaning

License

word

免許

Meaning

License

word

免れる

Meaning

Escape

word

免疫

Meaning

Immunity

word

免税

Meaning

Tax free

Learn the Word 御免

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What does 'Gomen' (御免) mean?

'Gomen' means 'Permission' or 'Sorry' .

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