The Most Common Japanese Expressions - sumimasen
sumimasen (excuse me/thank you)
Depending on the situation it’s used in, sumimasen can be used apologetically to mean ‘please move out of my way’ or ‘I’m sorry’/’pardon me’. It can also be used to get someone’s attention politely (although it often sounds otherwise when barked loudly), as in ‘I’m ready to order now’, ‘I need another drink’ or ‘get over here!’. Additionally, it can be used to say ‘thank you’ in an apologetic way when someone has done you a favour, as in ‘thank you for going to so much trouble’ or ’sorry to trouble you’.
The expression is basically the same as ‘excuse me’ in English, although the emphasis on politeness in Japanese society results in it being used more frequently and in a wider range of situations than in English: for example, when sitting down next to a stranger on public transport, or as a more formal alternative to gomen nasai (‘I’m sorry’) when apologising for actions perceived as ‘shameful’, many of which wouldn’t warrant an apology in other cultures.
In its attention-grabbing form it’s used extensively in restaurants and izakaya (pubs). Quite frequently you’ll see a patron demanding attention by saying sumimasen in an only-slightly raised tone of voice and – despite there apparently being nobody available to serve – a waiter or waitress will come running out of the kitchen in a demonstration of remarkable hearing ability and conditioning akin to Pavlov’s dog.
Use of the word by non-Japanese people in Japan is also interesting. As often happens with Japanese words, the ‘u’ is contracted when pronounced by native speakers, making it similar to a schwa sound in English. Pronunciation of the word is therefore a good indication of a non-Japanese person’s Japanese language ability: those who speak Japanese naturally pronounce the word ‘smimasen’ (or the even easier suimasen) whereas those who don’t stress the first syllable as ‘su’.