A Hindi apology is not made sincere merely by choosing a strong equivalent of sorry. Its force comes from a sequence: recognizing what happened, locating responsibility, acknowledging the effect on the other person, and offering a repair. माफ़ कीजिए can be perfectly polite yet sound evasive if it is followed by an excuse; a plain मेरी गलती थी can carry more weight because it accepts responsibility directly.
This page focuses on contemporary spoken and professional Hindi. (formal) written formulas and (informal) conversational alternatives are labeled because a phrase suited to an official notice can sound distant between friends, while सॉरी can sound too casual after serious harm.
Apologies frequently occur beside requests for repair; the request-level guide explains the करना / कीजिए contrast in more detail.
The core apology formulas
The imperative inside माफ़ कीजिए literally asks the addressee to forgive. Its respectful -इए form normally aligns with आप. माफ़ करना is the corresponding familiar form with तुम, while intimate तू permits माफ़ कर दे. Pronoun choice and verbal agreement work together; there is no independent word that makes a mismatched clause polite.
| Form | Typical relationship and setting | Interactional force |
|---|---|---|
| माफ़ कीजिए māf kījie | strangers, seniors, professional interactions | respectful neutral apology; also “excuse me” |
| माफ़ करना māf karnā | friends, siblings, familiar colleagues | direct but warm (informal) |
| क्षमा कीजिए kṣamā kījie | ceremonial speech, notices, elevated professional speech | more formal or Sanskritic (formal) |
| सॉरी sorī | friends and casual urban conversation | light, immediate acknowledgment (informal) |
| मुझे खेद है mujhe khed hai | official communication or grave news | impersonal regret (formal) |
माफ़ कीजिए, आपको इंतज़ार करना पड़ा।
māf kījie, āpko intazār karnā paṛā.
I'm sorry you had to wait.
सॉरी यार, मैं तुम्हें बताना भूल गया।
sorī yār, maĩ tumheṃ batānā bhūl gayā.
Sorry, I forgot to tell you. (informal; male speaker)
कार्यक्रम रद्द होने से हुई असुविधा के लिए हमें खेद है।
kāryakram radd hone se huī asuvidhā ke lie hameṃ khed hai.
We regret the inconvenience caused by the cancellation of the program. (formal)
माफ़ कीजिए before a question may merely manage contact: माफ़ कीजिए, स्टेशन किधर है? means “Excuse me, which way is the station?” No wrongdoing is being confessed. After an actual offense, name the offense rather than expecting the formula to do all the work.
Saying who was responsible
Hindi offers a useful scale of agency. मुझसे गलती हो गई presents the error as something that occurred through the speaker: it is idiomatic and often sincere, but its grammar backgrounds deliberate agency. मैंने गलती की explicitly makes “I” the agent. मेरी गलती थी assigns responsibility without narrating the event. None is inherently dishonest; the scale matters when the listener needs accountability.
मुझसे तारीख़ लिखने में गलती हो गई। माफ़ कीजिए, मैं अभी ठीक कर देता हूँ।
mujhse tārīx likhne meṃ galtī ho gaī. māf kījie, maĩ abhī ṭhīk kar detā hū̃.
I made a mistake while writing the date. I'm sorry; I'll correct it right now. (male speaker)
मैंने आपकी अनुमति के बिना फ़ाइल भेजी; यह मेरी गलती थी।
maĩne āpkī anumati ke binā fāil bhejī; yah merī galtī thī.
I sent the file without your permission; that was my mistake.
मुझे आपसे उस लहजे में बात नहीं करनी चाहिए थी।
mujhe āpse us lahje meṃ bāt nahīṃ karnī cāhie thī.
I shouldn't have spoken to you in that tone.
The last construction is especially effective because नहीं करनी चाहिए थी evaluates the speaker's own past behavior. English speakers sometimes translate “mistakes were made” into an agentless Hindi apology. Hindi permits backgrounded agency, but after a serious breach, repeated हो गया “it happened” can sound like avoidance.
A complete apology: harm, responsibility, repair
A socially complete apology often has four moves. They need not occur in a fixed order, and a minor bump on a bus needs only माफ़ कीजिए, but a substantial problem normally benefits from all four.
- Apology: माफ़ कीजिए.
- Specific acknowledgment: आपको समय पर सूचना नहीं मिली “you did not receive notice on time.”
- Responsibility: यह मेरी गलती थी “that was my mistake.”
- Repair or prevention: मैं आज ही... / आगे से... “I will ... today” / “from now on ...”.
आपको समय पर सूचना नहीं मिली—यह मेरी ज़िम्मेदारी थी और मुझसे चूक हुई। माफ़ कीजिए।
āpko samay par sūcnā nahīṃ milī—yah merī zimmadārī thī aur mujhse cūk huī. māf kījie.
You weren't informed on time—it was my responsibility, and I failed to do it. I'm sorry.
नुकसान मेरी वजह से हुआ है। मैं इसकी भरपाई करूँगा।
nuksān merī vajah se huā hai. maĩ iskī bharpāī karū̃gā.
The damage happened because of me. I will make it right. (male speaker)
आगे से मैं आपसे पुष्टि करने के बाद ही फ़ाइल भेजूँगी।
āge se maĩ āpse puṣṭi karne ke bād hī fāil bhejū̃gī.
From now on, I'll send the file only after confirming with you. (female speaker)
Here focus ही makes prior confirmation a condition on sending the file, so the repair names a new safeguard rather than merely promising goodwill. ऐसा दोबारा नहीं होगा “this will not happen again” is strong, but after a preventable repeated failure it needs an explanation of what will change.
Formal and familiar exchanges
In a professional exchange, respectful agreement continues through both turns. Notice दीजिए, बताइए, and करूँगी, not just the opening formula.
माफ़ कीजिए, मैंने आपको पुराना दस्तावेज़ भेज दिया। नई प्रति अभी भेज रही हूँ। — ठीक है, भेजकर मुझे बता दीजिएगा।
māf kījie, maĩne āpko purānā dastāvez bhej diyā. naī prati abhī bhej rahī hū̃. — ṭhīk hai, bhejkar mujhe batā dījiegā.
I'm sorry, I sent you the old document. I'm sending the new copy now. — All right; please let me know once you've sent it. (female first speaker; formal)
Friends can use fewer formal markers without reducing sincerity:
माफ़ करना, मैंने गुस्से में बेकार की बात कह दी। — ठीक है, बस अगली बार पहले मेरी बात सुन लेना।
māf karnā, maĩne gusse meṃ bekār kī bāt kah dī. — ṭhīk hai, bas aglī bār pahle merī bāt sun lenā.
I'm sorry; I said something stupid in anger. — Okay, just hear me out first next time. (informal)
English I'm sorry often stands alone. Hindi commonly pairs the formula with the behavior itself: देर हो गई, मैं बताना भूल गया, मुझे ऐसा नहीं कहना चाहिए था. That additional clause is not decorative; it demonstrates that the speaker understands what requires repair.
Intonation, particles, and apparent minimization
With a low, steady contour, माफ़ कीजिए sounds serious. A quick rise can make it an attention-getter or an incredulous challenge: माफ़ कीजिए? may mean “Excuse me?” after an offensive remark. ना can turn a familiar request for forgiveness into an appeal—माफ़ कर दो ना—but after serious harm it may pressure the injured person to absolve the speaker.
माफ़ कर दो ना, मुझे सच में नहीं पता था।
māf kar do nā, mujhe sac meṃ nahīṃ patā thā.
Please forgive me; I genuinely didn't know. (informal, pleading)
माफ़ कीजिए? आपने अभी क्या कहा?
māf kījie? āpne abhī kyā kahā?
Excuse me? What did you just say? (incredulous, not an apology)
तो, by contrast, can sharpen blame in a response: पहले बताना तो चाहिए था “you should at least have told me beforehand.” The proposition resembles पहले बताना चाहिए था, but focus on तो makes the unmet minimum salient.
Repairing a weak or defensive apology
अगर आपको बुरा लगा हो तो माफ़ कीजिए “if you felt bad, forgive me” is grammatically possible, but it makes the listener's reaction conditional instead of naming the speaker's conduct. It can be appropriate when the speaker genuinely does not know how something was received; it is a poor repair when the harm is already clear.
अगर मेरी बात से आपको ठेस पहुँची हो, तो माफ़ कीजिए। मेरा इरादा वह नहीं था।
agar merī bāt se āpko ṭhes pahũcī ho, to māf kījie. merā irādā vah nahīṃ thā.
If what I said hurt you, I'm sorry. That was not my intention. (appropriate when the effect is uncertain)
When the effect is known, remove the conditional and accept the act:
मेरी बात से आपको ठेस पहुँची। मुझे ऐसा नहीं कहना चाहिए था—माफ़ कीजिए।
merī bāt se āpko ṭhes pahũcī. mujhe aisā nahīṃ kahanā cāhie thā—māf kījie.
What I said hurt you. I shouldn't have said it—I'm sorry.
This is a genuine pragmatic repair: no grander vocabulary was needed. Explicit agency and recognition made the apology stronger.
Common Mistakes
Using a familiar form with an unfamiliar senior
❌ माफ़ करना, आप दो मिनट रुकना।
Socially mismatched in a normal professional interaction—आप is paired with familiar imperatives.
✅ माफ़ कीजिए, क्या आप दो मिनट रुकेंगे?
māf kījie, kyā āp do minaṭ rukeṅge?
Excuse me, would you wait for two minutes?
Making the listener's reaction the only problem
❌ आपको बुरा लगा, इसके लिए माफ़ कीजिए।
Pragmatically evasive when the speaker's known action caused the harm—the wording apologizes mainly for the listener's feeling.
✅ मैंने सबके सामने आपकी बात काटी; मुझे ऐसा नहीं करना चाहिए था। माफ़ कीजिए।
maĩne sabke sāmne āpkī bāt kāṭī; mujhe aisā nahīṃ karnā cāhie thā. māf kījie.
I interrupted you in front of everyone; I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry.
Using an official formula between close friends
✅ कल उपस्थित न हो पाने के लिए मैं क्षमाप्रार्थी हूँ।
kal upasthit na ho pāne ke lie maĩ kṣamāprārthī hū̃.
I apologize for being unable to attend tomorrow. (formal written wording; socially distant for a close friend's text)
✅ सॉरी यार, मैं कल नहीं आ पाऊँगा।
sorī yār, maĩ kal nahīṃ ā pāū̃gā.
Sorry, I won't be able to come tomorrow. (informal; male speaker)
Repeating “it happened” instead of accepting agency
❌ बस गलती हो गई, अब क्या कर सकते हैं?
Defensive after a preventable serious error—it minimizes both agency and repair.
✅ गलती मेरी थी। मैं आज ही सही आवेदन जमा करूँगी।
galtī merī thī. maĩ āj hī sahī āvedan jamā karū̃gī.
The mistake was mine. I will submit the correct application today. (female speaker)
Key Takeaways
Choose माफ़ कीजिए, माफ़ करना, or सॉरी according to relationship and gravity, but do not stop at the formula when real harm occurred. Hindi lets you grade agency from मुझसे गलती हो गई to explicit मैंने गलती की and मेरी गलती थी. A convincing apology aligns honorific grammar, names the effect, accepts appropriate responsibility, and offers a credible repair.
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