bào
qiàn
(Mandarin)
(Cantonese)

HSK 4

Dictionary

to be sorry/to feel apologetic/sorry!

Examples

抱歉,我来晚了,路上堵车。

Bàoqiàn, wǒ lái wǎn le, lù shàng dǔ chē.

Sorry, I'm late. There was a traffic jam.

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Word Formation

抱 means 'to hold' and 歉 means 'apology' or 'regret'.

Usage Tips

抱歉 is more formal than 对不起 (duìbuqǐ) and is often used in professional or written contexts, e.g., 很抱歉,我迟到了 (I'm sorry, I'm late).