{"id":9894,"date":"2016-05-02T13:24:28","date_gmt":"2016-05-02T04:24:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/?p=9894"},"modified":"2021-04-15T01:12:02","modified_gmt":"2021-04-14T16:12:02","slug":"japanese-culture-apologizing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/japanese-culture-apologizing\/","title":{"rendered":"Hard To Say &#8220;I&#8217;m Sorry&#8221; &#8211; 8 Ways to Apologize in Japanese"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>I remember a visiting friend once asked me while we were at a restaurant, why I would say <strong><em>sumimasen<\/em> \u3059\u307f\u307e\u305b\u3093<\/strong> (Sorry&#8230;), which is a Japanese word of apology, when the waitress brought us food. \u201cIt feels appropriate\u201d was my first thought. After thinking about it again, I resolved that using <em>sumimasen<\/em> in this context means \u201cI\u2019m sorry to have troubled you, but thank you,\u201d instead of a plain translation of \u201csorry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery aligncenter columns-2 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"497\" height=\"672\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/26150339\/necchusyou_face_girl1.png\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"65271\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/26150339\/necchusyou_face_girl1.png\" data-link=\"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/necchusyou_face_girl1\/\" class=\"wp-image-65271\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/26150339\/necchusyou_face_girl1.png 497w, https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/26150339\/necchusyou_face_girl1-370x500.png 370w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 497px) 100vw, 497px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"604\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/26150332\/job_barista_woman.png\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"65269\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/26150332\/job_barista_woman.png\" data-link=\"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/job_barista_woman-2\/\" class=\"wp-image-65269\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/26150332\/job_barista_woman.png 604w, https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/26150332\/job_barista_woman-378x500.png 378w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 604px) 100vw, 604px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why do Japanese Say &#8220;Sorry&#8221; So Much?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The incident reminds me of an <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/hbr.org\/2012\/06\/why-im-sorry-doesnt-always-translate\" target=\"_blank\">HBR article<\/a> that compares the psychologies of the Japanese and the American inclination towards apologizing. The article asserts that while an apology in Western thinking would imply guilt and personal responsibility for wrongdoing, Japanese, as well as most East Asian cultures, focus on moving beyond what had happened, even in cases when the speaker was not personally responsible. Thus a Japanese person would apologize just to smooth over a relationship, even if he or she had nothing to do with what caused the issue in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery aligncenter columns-1 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"278\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/26150335\/message_gomennasai-1024x278.png\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"65270\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/26150335\/message_gomennasai.png\" data-link=\"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/message_gomennasai\/\" class=\"wp-image-65270\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/26150335\/message_gomennasai-1024x278.png 1024w, https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/26150335\/message_gomennasai-500x136.png 500w, https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/26150335\/message_gomennasai.png 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-caption\">Gomen nasai &#8211; a common way to apologize in Japanese<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Simply put, an English &#8220;sorry&#8221; and a Japanese &#8220;sorry&#8221; might not mean the same thing, and the speaker\u2019s cultural context will need to be taken into account before his\/her apology can be understood as intended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Given their sensitive and class-conscious nature, the Japanese apologize thoughtfully yet routinely, as seen in their multiple, situation-dependent expressions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Japanese Apology #1 &#8211; Sumimasen (\u3059\u307f\u307e\u305b\u3093) &nbsp; &nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cSumimasen\u201d is the most commonly used \u201csorry\u201d in everyday life \u2013 use it as an apology when you have unintentionally stepped on someone. \u201cSumimasen\u201d can also be used as \u201cexcuse me,\u201d for example when you want to call a waiter in a restaurant or get off of a crowded train. And as explained above, \u201csumimasen\u201d displays a sense of thankfulness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But I thought \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/thank-japanese-arigatou\/\">arigatou<\/a>\u201d was the word for &#8220;thank you&#8221;?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When looking at it closely, <strong><em>sumimasen<\/em> \u2013 literally meaning in Japanese \u201cit cannot be settled\/ completed\u201d (\u6e08\u307f\u307e\u305b\u3093)<\/strong> \u2013 can be the shortened forms of the following two expressions:<br>1. I cannot fully express my remorse for what had happened and I apologize.<br>2. I cannot thank you enough for going out of your way for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-medium\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"370\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/26151758\/necchusyou_face_boy1-370x500.png\" alt=\"sumimasen can mean thank you in japanese\" class=\"wp-image-65277\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/26151758\/necchusyou_face_boy1-370x500.png 370w, https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/26151758\/necchusyou_face_boy1.png 497w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 370px) 100vw, 370px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Some even go further to argue that \u201csumimasen\u201d should be used to thank superiors, while \u201carigatou\u201d should be directed at those at the same ranking or below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One thing to note: However you choose to use \u201csumimasen,\u201d make sure you do not use the slang version \u201csu<strong>i<\/strong>masen\u201d at superiors due to the casualness it suggests; or worse, \u201csuman\u201d that you may hear on TV shows or anime (usually used by male), which is the shortened form of \u201csumanai\u201d (the plain form of \u201csumimasen\u201d).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Japanese Apology #2 &#8211; <\/strong><strong>Sumimasen deshita (\u3059\u307f\u307e\u305b\u3093\u3067\u3057\u305f)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A more formal version of \u201csumimasen\u201d (i.e. sorry) is \u201csumimasen-deshita,\u201d which you can use to apologize to a superior or after a bigger mistake than stepping on someone\u2019s foot. The adding of \u201cdeshita\u201d turns \u201csumimasen\u201d into past tense, and can be interpreted as \u201cI\u2019m sorry for what I did.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Japanese Apology #3 &#8211; <\/strong><strong>Gomen \/ Gomen-nasai \/ Gomen-kudasai (\u3054\u3081\u3093\u30fb\u3054\u3081\u3093\u306a\u3055\u3044\u30fb\u3054\u3081\u3093\u304f\u3060\u3055\u3044)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The kanji of \u201cmen\u201d in \u201cgomen\u201d (\u5fa1\u514d) means \u201cto forgive,\u201d so the phrases of \u201cgomen,\u201d \u201cgomen-nasai\u201d and \u201cgomen-kudasai\u201d (i.e. different forms of politeness in ascending order) would give the apology a sense of admission of the wrongdoing by asking for forgiveness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Both \u201cgomen-nasai\u201d and \u201cgomen-kudasai\u201d are translated from Japanese to \u201cplease forgive me\u201d and are more polite than \u201cgomen\u201d, which should be used to close friends and family only.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-medium\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"332\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/26150357\/pose_syazai_man-332x500.png\" alt=\"Sumimasen deshita - a polite apology in Japanese\" class=\"wp-image-65274\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/26150357\/pose_syazai_man-332x500.png 332w, https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/26150357\/pose_syazai_man.png 531w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 332px) 100vw, 332px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>While both \u201csumimasen\u201d and \u201cgomen-nasai\u201d are acceptable ways to say sorry, \u201cgomen-nasai\u201d is somewhat more preferred due to its indication of guilt, especially when facing superiors or in (relatively less serious) commercial settings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Japanese Apology #4 &#8211; <\/strong><strong>Shitsurei \/ Shitsurei-shimasu (\u5931\u793c\u30fb\u5931\u793c\u3057\u307e\u3059)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cShitsurei\u201d (\u5931\u793c) means rude, or literally \u201closing respect,\u201d so the phrases \u201cshitsurei\u201d and \u201cshitsurei-shimasu\u201d could imply \u201cpardon my rudeness.\u201d \u201cShitsurei-shimasu\u201d is also used when someone is dismissing his\/herself from someone important, such as leaving a doctor\u2019s office after a consultation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Japanese Apology #5 &#8211; <\/strong><strong>Shitsurei-shimashita \/ Shitsurei-itashimashita (\u5931\u793c\u3057\u307e\u3057\u305f\u30fb\u5931\u793c\u3044\u305f\u3057\u307e\u3057\u305f)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cShitsurei-shimashita\u201d and \u201cshitsurei-itashimashita\u201d (in ascending order of politeness) are past tense and formal versions of \u201cshitsurei-shimasu.\u201d These are recommended for work-related situations, and you will hear them quite often in commercial settings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-medium\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"372\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/26150345\/onegai_gomen_man-372x500.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-65272\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/26150345\/onegai_gomen_man-372x500.png 372w, https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/26150345\/onegai_gomen_man.png 595w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 372px) 100vw, 372px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>But now we get to the most solemn words of apology:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Japanese Apology #6 &#8211; <\/strong><strong>Moushiwake-nai \/ Moushiwake-arimasen \/ Moushiwake-gozaimasen (\u7533\u3057\u8a33\u306a\u3044\u30fb\u7533\u3057\u8a33\u3042\u308a\u307e\u305b\u3093\u30fb\u7533\u3057\u8a33\u3054\u3056\u3044\u307e\u305b\u3093)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMoushiwake\u201d (\u7533\u3057\u8a33) means excuse, so the phrases \u201cmoshiwake-nai\u201d and its keigo equivalents would mean \u201cNo excuses [can justify my actions and I apologize].\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-medium\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"471\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/26150353\/pose_ochikomu_businessman-471x500.png\" alt=\"A strong apology in Japanese is accompanied with a deep bow\" class=\"wp-image-65273\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/26150353\/pose_ochikomu_businessman-471x500.png 471w, https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/26150353\/pose_ochikomu_businessman.png 732w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 471px) 100vw, 471px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMoushiwake-gozaimasen\u201d would be the most polite out of the three forms above but \u2013 you guessed it \u2013 the past tense will take them even further\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Japanese Apology #7 &#8211; <\/strong><strong>Moushiwake-arimasen-deshita \/ Moushiwake-gozaimasen-deshita (\u7533\u3057\u8a33\u3042\u308a\u307e\u305b\u3093\u3067\u3057\u305f\u30fb\u7533\u3057\u8a33\u3054\u3056\u3044\u307e\u305b\u3093\u3067\u3057\u305f)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>These should be used when you are in big trouble at work; for example, you have made some serious mistakes during a client presentation. (And say it with a deep bow!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-medium\"><a href=\"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/japanese-culture-apologizing\/s_pixta_20473181_m\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/26150406\/shikaru_man-500x500.png\" alt=\"apologizing in the japanese workplace\" class=\"wp-image-65276\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/26150406\/shikaru_man-500x500.png 500w, https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/26150406\/shikaru_man-50x50.png 50w, https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/26150406\/shikaru_man-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/26150406\/shikaru_man-400x400.png 400w, https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/26150406\/shikaru_man-250x250.png 250w, https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/26150406\/shikaru_man.png 787w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>But, say, if these mistakes cost your company a client, the ultimate apology would be:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Japanese Apology #8 &#8211; <\/strong><strong>Makotoni-moushiwake-gozaimasen-deshita (\u8aa0\u306b\u7533\u3057\u8a33\u3054\u3056\u3044\u307e\u305b\u3093\u3067\u3057\u305f)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Which should be interpreted as \u201cthere were no excuses for my mistakes, I am totally responsible for what I have done and am sincerely apologetic.\u201d You might hear it sometimes in public announcements, such as train delays, but you should hope you never have to be the one to say it to someone else!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-medium\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"488\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/26150401\/pose_syazai_sliding_dogeza_man-500x488.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-65275\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/26150401\/pose_syazai_sliding_dogeza_man-500x488.png 500w, https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/26150401\/pose_syazai_sliding_dogeza_man-50x50.png 50w, https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/26150401\/pose_syazai_sliding_dogeza_man.png 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>So in ascending order of seriousness\/politeness, there are 8 ways to apologize in Japanese. The main thing you should take away from this is that like the <a href=\"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/thank-japanese-arigatou\/\">act of expressing gratitude<\/a>, the act of apologizing is incredibly important in Japan, even for things that are not clearly your fault. When you learn how to apologize for the smallest things, you will have better and easier relationships with Japanese people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:100px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Apologizing in Japanese is more than just &#8220;sumimasen&#8221;. This article looks at how to say sorry in varied degrees of seriousness, and how to use them properly<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":65273,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"pgc_meta":"","_editorskit_title_hidden":false,"_editorskit_reading_time":0,"_editorskit_is_block_options_detached":false,"_editorskit_block_options_position":"{}","footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[1385,1331],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>8 Ways To Say &quot;I&#039;m Sorry&quot; in the Japanese Language<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Apologizing is an important part of Japanese culture so it is good to learn the appropriate way to say &quot;I&#039;m sorry&quot; in different situations.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/japanese-culture-apologizing\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"8 Ways To Say &quot;I&#039;m Sorry&quot; in the Japanese Language\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Apologizing is an important part of Japanese culture so it is good to learn the appropriate way to say &quot;I&#039;m sorry&quot; in different situations.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/japanese-culture-apologizing\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"VOYAPON\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-05-02T04:24:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-04-14T16:12:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/26150353\/pose_ochikomu_businessman.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"732\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"777\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Kelly Nagata\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Kelly Nagata\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/japanese-culture-apologizing\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/japanese-culture-apologizing\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Kelly Nagata\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/#\/schema\/person\/46990eb37a4bb7bf955d20e9e1fb5dec\"},\"headline\":\"Hard To Say &#8220;I&#8217;m Sorry&#8221; 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