Duìbùqǐ, shì wǒ de cuò.
I am sorry, it was my fault.
Safe with anyone
The full form: apology plus ownership. Saying shi wo de cuo out loud is what separates a real apology from a polite one.
REAL SPOKEN CHINESE
How do you apologise in Chinese when you have really messed up?
Admit it plainly, put the blame on yourself, and offer to fix it. A real apology in Chinese opens with duibuqi or a direct it is my fault, skips the excuses entirely, and closes with a concrete repair: a redo, a meal, a favour returned. The repair matters more than the wording.
Wǒ zhēn de bú shì gùyì de.
I really did not do it on purpose.
Safe with anyone
Use only after you have admitted the damage. Leading with this before saying sorry makes it sound like an excuse.
Ràng nǐ nánshòu le, zhēn duìbùqǐ.
I made you feel awful, I am truly sorry.
Safe with anyone
Naming their feeling shows you understood what you did. This is the version for when feelings were hurt, not just plans.
Shì wǒ kǎolǜ bù zhōu, bàoqiàn.
I did not think it through, my apologies.
Safe with anyone
The workplace version. It frames the mistake as your own poor judgement, which is acceptable, without groveling.
Zhè shì lài wǒ.
This one is on me.
Friends and coworkers
Three words that carry a whole apology. Lai pins the blame on yourself, and friends hear it as more sincere than a long sorry.
Guài wǒ méi shuō qīngchu.
My fault for not being clear.
Friends and coworkers
Blame yourself for the misunderstanding specifically. It ends the argument about who said what, which is usually the real fight.
Zhè dùn wǒ qǐng, bié shēngqì le.
Dinner is on me, stop being mad.
Friends and coworkers
The repair as the apology. Between friends a meal settles a grudge faster than any wording, and both sides know it.
Huítóu wǒ bǔcháng nǐ.
I will make it up to you later.
Friends and coworkers
A promise, not a full apology. It only works after you have already said sorry, otherwise it sounds like buying your way out.
Wǒ cuò le, nǐ shuō zěnme bàn ba.
I was wrong, tell me how to fix it.
Close friends only
Total surrender, handing them the verdict. Only for people close enough that you trust them not to actually sentence you.
What the labels mean
- Safe with anyone
- Fine at work, fine with your partner's parents.
- Friends and coworkers
- Normal among people your own age. Skip it with elders, clients and officials.
- Close friends only
- Carries a swear or an insult. Only with people who would swear back.
HearMandarinTodayLearnPracticeReviewMePro