Hi friends!
One thing I noticed immediately when moving to Japan was the sheer amount of people saying “sumimasen.”
If you hold the door open and wait for someone, he’ll say: sumimasen!
If you stand near the doorway in the train and someone is trying to get out, she’ll say: sumimasen!
If you accidently spill your glass of water at a restaurant, you’ll say: sumimasen!
And if you need to call a waitress to help clean up the spill, you’ll yell:sumimasen!
Sumimasen, is an expression of apology.
It was thus amusing to me, seeing the difference in culture… if you ask a question and receive an answer, an American would be quick to thank, whereas a Japanese would be quick to apologize for taking up someone’s time.
In reality, “sumimasen” is often used interchangeably as “excuse me” or “pardon me” as well as “sorry.”
It’s used in many contexts, to apologize for taking away someone’s time or attention.
I think the word is symbolic of Japanese society… in Japan, being considerate is not part of a person’s character, but rather, it’s engrained in the Japanese culture.
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