Japanese

Japanese has a complicated system for apologizing, which can change drastically depending on who you are speaking to and the level of formality you wish to express. 
	However, すみません and <ruby>失situ礼reiします</ruby> are two of the
	most versatile ways of excusing yourself or saying sorry, and can be used in a wide variety of situations without causing offense. 
	すみません means I'm sorry while <ruby>失situ礼reiします</ruby>, literally translates to I am rude.
	However, on their own, the two phrases are synonymous and if you accidentally spilled your drink on the person next to you, either 
	one would be a suitable way of apologizing.


	It is also worth noting that in Japan, people will often "apologize," when English speakers would customarily say Thank you.
	For example, if you brought someone a cup of tea, she would be just as likely to say すみません as ありがとうございます.
	This might seem strange, but you can think of it as that person acknowledging the trouble you went through to do something on their behalf.

Apologizing with すみません and 失礼します

hiragana character

kanji

adnominal

adverb

auxiliary

conjunction

compound

i-adjective

interjection

noun

na-adjective

numeral

particle

case particle

conjunctive particle

discourse particle

prefix

pronoun

suffix

verb

sentence

hiragana writing

kanji writing

kanji component

reading vocabulary

katakana writing

katakana character

godan - group 1

itidan - group 2

group 3

transitive

intransitive

proper noun

discourse

phrase

expression

situreisuru

Breakdown of situreisuru

Usages of situreisuru