In Japanese society, guilt is a feeling rooted in historical and cultural factors, so that all social relations end up being "bathed" in ambiguous language that seeks to avoid, at all costs, offending others and, consequently, escape guilt. This is where apologies originate.
The excess of apologies is, in this sense, a result of the difficulty with which the japoneses deal or try to deal with the problem of guilt, as well as the issue of excessive politeness, which can be seen in contexts where even celebrations, thanks, and ceremonial contemplations should be the emotional focus of the situation.
That’s why we often see words like sumimasen having different uses and meanings, considering it is a word that encompasses various translations, becoming a thank you or a request for permission.
Click here and read our article teaching 23 ways to apologize in Japanese!
In this article, we will understand the reasons that made the Japanese people become passionate about using apologetic expressions in everyday life. And we will also explain about the origin of the feeling of guilt in the Japanese.
Table of Content
Samurai: The Origin of Guilt
The Samurais were Japanese who constantly fought in battles for territory, guided by moral values of honor, obedience, and respect towards a feudal land lord. Courageous figures, focused on fulfilling hierarchy, discipline, and loyalty. Upon dishonoring their commitments, they would self-mutilate in a practice known as Seppuku (or Harakiri). The act of cutting their own belly and, consequently, suicide was the only way some samurais believed they could compensate for a certain dishonored conduct.
This practice lasted longer, even with the end of the samurai and the feudal period, when during World War II, pilots of suicide planes targeted Pearl Harbor. These, in turn, became known as “kamikaze” (divine winds, in literal translation). Since ancient times, values from samurai culture and bushido (the samurai code of ethics) have remained present in the daily life of modern Japan, so that even today it is difficult for a Japanese to deal with guilt or feeling. dishonor before a superior.
In this way, we can believe that the origin of the feeling of guilt can come from habits rooted throughout the feudal period.
Apologies in Anime and Manga
In anime and manga it is very common to hear characters saying "gomen nasai", "gomen ne", "sumimasen" or even "suman". It is very likely that these are the most common words in an anime, along with words of thanks, such as "arigatou" and "doumo", which are also constantly inserted in dialogue.
Pop culture often reflects reality. In the specific case of apologies, it is not an exaggeration to say that anime are quite faithful to what really happens in social relationships in real life. When asking for help, requesting information, expressing gratitude, invading someone’s personal space, entering a place, or simply asking not to be considered a nuisance, we will always hear a sumimasen.
Another situation of frequent use of excuses is when the Japanese ask for forgiveness for something they haven't done yet or that they think the other person may, for some reason, dislike (without necessarily being sure).
Too many words to apologize
Japanese is a language that has a huge amount of synonyms. There are numerous words with the meaning of “excuse”, with some differences in relation to the context of use and way of communicating.
Below, we will see a list of some terms that indicate an apology:
- Sumimasen
- Gomen nasai
- Sumimasen ne
- Sumimasen deshita
- Sumanai
- Suman
- Gomen ne
- Gomen
- Sumahen
- Moshiwake Arimasen
- Moshiwake Gozaimasen
- Moshiwakenai desu
- Moshiwakenai
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