In the Japanese society, guilt is a feeling rooted in historical and cultural factors, so that all social relationships end up being “bathed” in ambiguous language that seeks to avoid, at all costs, offending others and, by extension, escaping guilt. This is where apologies originate.
The excess of apologies is, in this sense, a result of the difficulty with which the Japanese 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.
Therefore, we often see words like sumimasen having different uses and meanings, given that 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 passionate about using expressions of apology in everyday life. And we will also explain the origin of the feeling of guilt in the Japanese.
Table of Contents
Samurais: the origin of the feeling 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. When dishonoring their commitments, they would self-mutilate in a practice known as Seppuku (or Harakiri). The act of cutting their own abdomen and, consequently, suicide was the only way some samurais believed they could compensate for a certain dishonorable conduct.
This practice persisted for a longer time, even after the end of the samurais and the feudal period, when during World War II, suicide pilots targeted Pearl Harbor. These, in turn, became known as “kamikaze” (divine winds, in literal translation). Since ancient times, values derived 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 person to deal with guilt or the feeling of dishonor towards a superior.
Thus, we can believe that the origin of the feeling of guilt may stem from habits rooted throughout the feudal period.
Apologies in animes and mangas
In animes and mangas, it is very common to hear characters saying “gomen nasai”, “gomen ne”, “sumimasen” or even “suman”. It is quite 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 dialogues.
Pop culture often reflects reality. In the specific case of apologies, it is not an exaggeration to say that animes are quite faithful to what really happens in social relationships in real life. When asking for help, requesting information, thanking, invading someone else’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 apologies is when Japanese people apologize for something they have not yet done or that they think the other might, for some reason, dislike (without necessarily being sure of this).
Excess of words to apologize
The Japanese language has a huge number of synonyms. There are numerous words with the meaning of “apology”, with some differences regarding the context of use and the 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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