ごめん

ご

め

ん

Common wordJLPTN2Freq.FrequencyTop 1,000

Meanings

usually written using kana alone

Casual interjection used to apologize, get someone's attention, or excuse a small imposition. It is less polite than ごめんなさい or すみません.

Usage patterns

〈動どう詞し〉て、ごめんsorry for (doing something)
遅おくれて、ごめん。
Sorry for being late.
ごめんくださいused to call out politely when entering a home or shop
ごめんください、田た中なかです。
Hello, may I come in? It's Tanaka.
〈人ひと〉がお役やく御ご免めんになるto be relieved of one's duty or role
古ふるい機き械かいがついにお役やく御ご免めんになった。
The old machine was finally retired from service.
〈事こと〉はごめんだto definitely not want (something); to have had enough of (something)
もうこんな失しっ敗ぱいはごめんだ。
I've had enough of failures like this.

Expressions

ごめんなさいI'm sorry; excuse me; pardon me
御ご免めん被こうむるreceive permission; get the go-ahead · take one's leave; retire (with permission) · refuse; beg off; decline
御ご免めんを蒙こうむるreceive permission; get leave · take one's leave; retire (with permission) · refuse; beg off; decline
御ご免めん被こうむりたいI'm good, thanks; I'll stay out of this one

Kanji

御honorable, manipulate, govern
免excuse, dismissal

Related words· 6

許きょ可かN4sense 3
許可 is the plain modern noun for permission, whereas 御免 in this sense is an older, more formal or respectful way to say the same thing.
勘かん弁べんN1sense 5
勘弁 often appears as 勘弁して to ask to be spared something, while ごめん in ～はごめんだ instead states the speaker's own refusal or unwillingness.
すみませんN4sense 1
すみません is more polite and versatile than ごめん, working for apologies, getting attention, and even thanks, while ごめん stays casual and apology-focused.
ごめんなさいN3
ごめん is the casual, shortened form of ごめんなさい, used with close friends or family rather than in polite contexts.

Show 2 more

サーセン
ごめん is a common casual apology used with friends and family, similar in tone to サーセン but without the slangy, internet-derived feel.
すまん
すまん and ごめん are both casual apologies, but ごめん is more neutral in gender feel while すまん leans masculine.

Politeness

ごめんなさいpolite 丁寧語N3sense 1
ごめん is the casual, clipped apology used among friends and family, while ごめんなさい is the fuller, more polite form of the same apology.

Word family

お役やく御ご免めん
dismissal; firing; being relieved of a post · discarding; throwing away; becoming useless
天てん下か御ご免めん
officially licensed; chartered; legitimate
帯たい刀とう御ご免めん
privilege of wearing a sword for non-samurai
木き戸ど御ご免めん
free pass; unrestricted access
諸しょ役やく御ご免めん
exemption from various levies and taxes (militarist government era)
切きり捨すて御ご免めん
right of samurai to kill commoners for perceived affronts (Edo period)

Written forms

ごめんUsage82%
All senses are marked as usually written in kana; this is the normal everyday spelling, especially for apologies and the pattern 〜はごめんだ.
ゴメンUsage10%
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling from the reading; mainly a casual or stylized spelling for an apology or emphatic refusal, not the usual spelling for older noun senses.
御ご免めんUsage5%
Kanji spelling listed; seen in formal, older, or fixed expressions such as 御免ください and お役御免, though normally written in kana.
ご免めんUsage3%
Mixed kana-kanji spelling listed; understandable but generally less common than ごめん in everyday apologies.

Etymology

The kanji spelling 御免 reflects honorific 御ご plus 免, associated with permission, exemption, or pardon. The modern apology ごめん is connected with asking pardon or excuse; the exact historical development of each fixed expression is not specified.