Hanyu
What's the difference between 'すいません' and 'すみません'? I know 'すみません' means 'Excuse me'. And I came across 'すいません' in a TV series, I want to know when would you use 'すいません'. Is it because that when you say 'すみません' very quickly, then it may become 'すいません'? ありがとうございます
Nov 21, 2015 9:09 PM
Answers · 3
1
訂正<ていせい>correction ありがとうございます→よろしくお願<ねが>いします。=I hope you will take care of me.=Thanking you in advance. To sayありがとうございますis strange because you haven't known whether someone gives you a favor. It might be a correct expression in English or Chinese. But in Japanese, we do not say "ありがとうございますThank you" before we know someone gives us a favor. 虽然你还不知道有没有亲切的人,你现在写「谢谢」。这是奇怪。我们(日本人)不做这样的东西。 回答<かいとう>answer すみません[sɯmimaseɴ](formal) → すいません[sɯimaseɴ](casual) You wrote " Is it because that when you say 'すみません' very quickly, then it may become 'すいません'?". I do not agree with you. I guess the reason that it is because the word is very frequently used. I think that it was reducing the burden of pronunciation by dropping one consonant. We can also find the same phenomenon in other expressions. (ありがとう)ござります<Thank you>[gozaɾimasɯ]→(ありがとう)ございます[gozaimas]・いらっしゃりませ<Welcome to>[iɾaɕɕaɾimase]→いらっしゃい(ませ)[iɾaɕɕai(mase)]・くださりませ<Give me, Please>[kɯdasaɾimase]→ください(ませ)[kɯdasai(mase)]
November 21, 2015
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