Expressing Appreciation, Regret and Other Sentiments

In this lesson you will learn how to express appreciation, regret, and other important sentiments in Japanese. You will practice thanking someone for a dinner or gift, apologizing for being late, rescheduling an appointment, and using a range of social expressions that are essential for daily life in Japan. The lesson also introduces the past tense of adjectives.

遅くなって申し訳ありません。 — Osoku natte mooshiwake arimasen. — “I’m very sorry I’m late.”

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Dialogues (会話)

Situation 1 — Mr. Kelly thanks Mr. Hashimoto for dinner the previous evening

Romaji	English
Kerii: Kinoo wa taihen gochisoo-sama deshita. Totemo tanoshikatta desu. Doomo arigatoo gozaimashita.	That was a wonderful dinner yesterday. I had a great time. Thank you so much.
Hashimoto: Ie, ie, tondemonai. Ohazukashii desu. Watakushi no hoo koso, kireena ohana o arigatoo gozaimashita.	Oh, no. It was nothing. It’s embarrassing (that we couldn’t do more). It is I who must thank you for the beautiful flowers.
Kerii: Iie, doo itashimashite. Okusan ni yoroshiku.	Don’t mention it. Please give my regards to your wife.

Situation 2 — Mr. Nelson arrives late for his appointment with Mr. Ogawa

Romaji	English
Neruson: Osoku natte, mooshiwake arimasen.	I’m very sorry I’m late.
Ogawa: Ie, ie.	That’s all right.
Neruson: Tochuu de basu ga koshoo shimashita. Dakara, takushii de kimashita.	The bus broke down on the way, so I came by taxi.
Ogawa: Soo desu ka. Sore wa taihen deshita ne.	Is that right? You must have had a difficult time.

Situation 3 — Mr. Jackson calls Mr. Yamada to postpone an appointment

Romaji	English
Jakuson: Moshimoshi. Yamada-san desu ka? Watakushi, Jakuson desu.	Hello. Mr. Yamada? Jackson speaking.
Yamada: Aa, Jakuson-san. Nan desu ka?	Oh, Mr. Jackson. What is it?
Jakuson: Jitsu wa, kyuuyoo ga dekimashita. Dakara, mooshiwake arimasen ga, kyoo no yakusoku, ashita ni shite kudasaimasen ka?	Well, something urgent has come up. So, I’m very sorry but could we postpone today’s appointment until tomorrow?
Yamada: Ii desu yo. Jaa, ashita no gogo san-ji wa doo desu ka?	Sure. How about three o’clock tomorrow afternoon?
Jakuson: Hai, kekkoo desu. Jaa, ashita. Hontoo ni sumimasen.	That would be fine. Then see you tomorrow. I’m really sorry.
Yamada: Jaa, ashita.	See you tomorrow.

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Key Vocabulary (語彙)

Expressing Thanks and Apology

Romaji	Kana	English
gochisoo-sama deshita	ごちそうさまでした	that was a feast (said after a meal)
totemo	とても	very
tanoshikatta	たのしかった	was enjoyable (past tense of tanoshii)
tondemonai	とんでもない	not at all, don’t mention it
ohazukashii	おはずかしい	I am embarrassed (polite)
watakushi no hoo koso	わたくしのほうこそ	it is I who… (reversing gratitude)
kireena	きれいな	beautiful
osoku natte	おそくなって	being late
mooshiwake arimasen	もうしわけありません	I am very sorry (formal)
tochuu de	とちゅうで	on the way
dakara	だから	therefore, so
taihen deshita ne	たいへんでしたね	you must have had a hard time

Rescheduling

Romaji	Kana	English
jitsu wa	じつは	actually, to tell the truth
kyuuyoo	きゅうよう	urgent business
dekimashita	できました	came up, arose (past of dekimasu)
yakusoku	やくそく	appointment, engagement
hontoo ni	ほんとうに	really, truly

Other Useful Sentiments

Romaji	Kana	English
omedetoo gozaimasu	おめでとうございます	congratulations
osaki ni doozo	おさきにどうぞ	please go before me, after you
osaki ni shitsuree shimasu	おさきにしつれいします	excuse me for going before you
itadakimasu	いただきます	I will partake (said before eating)
odaiji ni	おだいじに	take good care of yourself
ki o tsukete	きをつけて	be careful
ogenki de	おげんきで	good luck, take care
zannen desu	ざんねんです	I’m sorry, it’s regrettable
ototoi	おととい	the day before yesterday
senjitsu / kono aida	せんじつ / このあいだ	the other day
omoshirokatta	おもしろかった	was interesting/fun (past of omoshiroi)

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Grammar & Usage Notes

1. Past tense of true adjectives

True adjectives (i-adjectives) change form for past tense:

Form	Pattern	Example (tanoshii — enjoyable)
Present affirmative	-i desu	Tanoshii desu. (It is enjoyable.)
Present negative	-ku arimasen	Tanoshiku arimasen. (It is not enjoyable.)
Past affirmative	-katta desu	Tanoshikatta desu. (It was enjoyable.)
Past negative	-ku arimasen deshita	Tanoshiku arimasen deshita. (It was not enjoyable.)

More examples:

Adjective	Past affirmative	Past negative
tooi (far)	tookatta desu	tooku arimasen deshita
omoshiroi (interesting)	omoshirokatta desu	omoshiroku arimasen deshita
oishii (delicious)	oishikatta desu	oishiku arimasen deshita
samui (cold)	samukatta desu	samuku arimasen deshita

2. Apologizing for being late

Osoku natte, mooshiwake arimasen. — “I’m very sorry I’m late.” (formal) Osoku natte, sumimasen. — “Sorry I’m late.” (standard)

Mooshiwake arimasen is more formal and appropriate for business situations.

3. Rescheduling with -ni shite kudasaimasen ka

Kyoo no yakusoku, ashita ni shite kudasaimasen ka? — “Could we make today’s appointment tomorrow instead?“

4. Expressing cause with dakara

Dakara means “therefore” or “so” and connects a reason to a result:

Basu ga koshoo shimashita. Dakara, takushii de kimashita. — “The bus broke down. So I came by taxi.”

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Practice Exercises (練習)

A. Substitution Drill — Thanking for a gift

Replace the gift item: Kireena ohana o arigatoo gozaimashita.

Substitute	Sentence
purezento (present)	Purezento o arigatoo gozaimashita.
kippu (ticket)	Kippu o arigatoo gozaimashita.
kireena hon (beautiful book)	Kireena hon o arigatoo gozaimashita.
oishii chokoreeto (delicious chocolate)	Oishii chokoreeto o arigatoo gozaimashita.
chizu (map)	Chizu o arigatoo gozaimashita.

B. Substitution Drill — Thanking for a meal

Replace the time: Kinoo wa taihen gochisoo-sama deshita.

Time expression	Sentence
ototoi (day before yesterday)	Ototoi wa taihen gochisoo-sama deshita.
senjitsu (the other day)	Senjitsu wa taihen gochisoo-sama deshita.
kono aida (the other day)	Kono aida wa taihen gochisoo-sama deshita.
Do-yoobi (Saturday)	Do-yoobi wa taihen gochisoo-sama deshita.
Nichi-yoobi (Sunday)	Nichi-yoobi wa taihen gochisoo-sama deshita.

C. Substitution Drill — Apologizing

Vary the level of formality: Osoku natte mooshiwake arimasen.

Variation	Formality
Osoku natte sumimasen.	standard
Osoku natte sumimasen deshita.	standard (past)
Osoku natte mooshiwake arimasen.	formal
Osoku natte mooshiwake arimasen deshita.	formal (past)

D. Response Drill — Past tense of adjectives

Answer the instructor’s questions in the affirmative or negative past tense:

Question	Affirmative answer	Negative answer
Kinoo wa tanoshikatta desu ka?	Hai, tanoshikatta desu.	Iie, tanoshiku arimasen deshita.
Eega wa omoshirokatta desu ka?	Hai, omoshirokatta desu.	Iie, omoshiroku arimasen deshita.
Osashimi wa oishikatta desu ka?	Hai, oishikatta desu.	Iie, oishiku arimasen deshita.

E. What should you say?

Choose the appropriate expression for each situation:

Situation	Expression
Someone is getting married	Omedetoo gozaimasu.
You want someone to go ahead of you	Osaki ni doozo.
Before you start eating	Itadakimasu.
Someone offers tea and you don’t want any	Iie, kekkoo desu.
Someone is driving on an icy road	Ki o tsukete.
Excusing yourself from a meeting	Shitsuree shimasu.
Someone you called is not home	Zannen desu ga…

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Cultural Notes

Visiting a Japanese home

When visiting a Japanese home, it is customary to bring a small gift such as candy, cookies, or flowers. Gifts are given right after exchanging greetings at the genkan (entrance hall). The host will say Irasshai (“Welcome”) and lead you inside with Kochira e doozo (“This way, please”).

When you want to leave, say Sorosoro shitsuree shimasu (“Please excuse me, I have to go now”). The host will likely ask you to stay longer: Mada yoroshii deshoo? (“Can’t you stay a little longer?”). Rather than saying Iie directly, use the softer Ee, demo… (“Yes, but…”) to decline politely.

Important: When receiving a gift from a Japanese person, do not open it immediately in front of them — this differs from American custom. Thank them graciously with Doomo arigatoo gozaimasu and set the gift aside.

Common social expressions

These expressions are used frequently in daily life and are important to know:

• Itadakimasu — said before eating (lit. “I will receive”)
• Gochisoo-sama deshita — said after eating (lit. “It was a feast”)
• Omedetoo gozaimasu — for weddings, graduations, promotions, births, and other happy occasions
• Odaiji ni — said when parting from someone who is ill
• Ogenki de — said when parting from someone you won’t see for a while
• Ki o tsukete — “be careful” (for someone traveling or doing something risky)