71837
In email communications, I have seen use of 申し訳ございません when saying sorry. How
this phrase has been constructed and how it is different from すみません。
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-09-16T07:40:57.200
71836
2019-09-16T08:36:59.153
34456
question
meaning
Explanation of 申し訳ございません
It literally means "There is no excuse", or "I have no excuse". Let's break it
down:

  * 申{もう}す is the humbling version of 言{い}う
  * 言{い}い訳{わけ} means "excuse, explanation"
  * so 申{もう}し訳{わけ} is kind of a humbling version of 言{い}い訳{わけ}
  * ございます (or 御{ご}座{ざ}います in kanis but that's very rare; ござる in plain form) is polite version of ある, so ございません is a more polite way to mean "there is not"

As a result, 申{もう}し訳{わけ}ございません literally means "I have no excuse", and
therefore is a very polite way to say "I'm sorry".

On the other hand, すみません is written 済{す}みません in kanjis. 済{す}む can mean "to
feel at ease", so 済{す}みません might be translated as "I feel bad [for what I
did]", which basically means "I'm sorry".

To sum it up:

> 申{もう}し訳{わけ}ございません
>
> _I have no excuses_
>
> すみません
>
> _I feel sorry_

Now as you may know, 申{もう}し訳{わけ}ございません is much more often used in formal
contexts than すみません, which is not rude _per se_ but would be considered not
respectful enough in a working context, especially in emails.
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-09-16T08:00:23.160
71837
2019-09-16T08:36:59.153
2020-06-17T08:18:27.500
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18582
71836
answer