15 Ways of Saying "I'm late" in Japanese

Introduction

One of the famous (notorious?) Japanese cultures is to be punctual. In fact, if you are even 1 minute late, you may make people angry in Japan. Thus, you should know "I'm late" in Japanese. Let's learn together.

10 Phrases: How to say "I'm late" in Japanese

When you are late

すみません、遅おそくなりました。

I’m sorry for being late.

お待またせしてすみませんでした。

I am sorry to have kept you waiting.

When you are going to be late

In Japan, being punctual is considered to be a criterion for determining whether you are dependable. Therefore, people usually inform their situation beforehand as below.

すみません、１０じゅっ分ぷん遅おくれます。

Sorry, I’m going to be 10 minutes late.

すみません、渋じゅう滞たいしていて３０さんじゅっ分ぷんぐらい遅おくれます。

Sorry, I’m going to be about 30 minutes late. I'm stuck in a traffic jam.

後あと２０にじゅっ分ぷんで着つきます。

I will be there in 20 minutes.

すみません、寝ね坊ぼうしました。今いますぐ行いきます。

Sorry, I have overslept. I will go immediately.

When you may be late

すみません、５ご分ふんほど遅おくれるかもしれません。

Sorry, I may be about 5 minutes late.

電車でんしゃが遅おくれていて、１０じゅっ分ぷんぐらい遅おくれるかもしれません。

I may be about 10 minutes late. The train is delayed.

すみません、遅おくれそうです。

Sorry, it's likely that I will be late.

ちょうどに着つくか、少すこし遅おくれそうです。

It’s likely that I will be just on time or a little late.

Conclusion

In Japan, being on time is actually not enough. In the workplace, we are required to arrive at 10 minutes earlier than scheduled time. Is it difficult for you? If so, please make sure to remember the above phrases!