Welcome back to our next “Video & Article” series with tutor Miki. In this article and video we will take a look at a couple of so called “cushion words” that you can use to make your polite Japanese sound softer and friendlier. Cushion words are essential for natural Japanese, so let’s see how you can integrate them into your speech!
| Table of Contents [Introduction] [お手数 ですが] [お忙 しい所 、申 し訳 ございません] [失礼 ですが] [確 かにその通 りですが] [ご期待 に添 えず大変 申 し訳 ございませんが] [あいにくですが] |
[Introduction]
In today’s lesson we are going to talk about and learn some “cushion words”. Cushion words are incredibly useful because they add extra verbal padding to potentially touchy topics. With cushion words you can not only get your message across in a polite way, but also add a layer of softness and friendliness, increasing your courteousness. Cushion words are very useful when you want to politely decline an offer, when you want to request something, or softly show your disagreement without sounding offensive.[お手数 ですが]
Let’s begin! The first cushion word we’ll take a look at today is “お手数 ですが”.お手数 ですが… Sorry for the inconvenience, but... “お手数 ですが” is an expression that similar to the English “sorry for the inconvenience” acknowledges ahead of whatever follows that you will be causing the other person some trouble, apologizing even before your actual request.
Let’s look at a situation where you can use “お手数 ですが” to request something:
If you want someone to check or confirm something (“ご確認 ください”), you can preemptively apologize by adding “お手数 ですが” right before your request:
お手数 ですが、ご確認 ください。 I’m sorry for the inconvenience, but please confirm this.
“お手数 ですが” makes the sentence politer and softer.
[お忙 しい所 、申 し訳 ございません]
Another cushion word that can be used when making requests is “お忙 しい所 、申 し訳 ございません”.お忙 しい所 、申 し訳 ございません I’m sorry to bother you when you are busy
The literal translation of “申 し訳 ございません” is “I have no excuse to say anything”, conveying that you are so sorry you feel there is no excuse for what you have done. Despite this sounding very dramatic, this phrase is commonly used as a polite/humble form for “I’m sorry” and no one really thinks deeply about the literal meaning.
Let’s see how this is used in conversation.
In this scenario, someone wants to talk to their co-worker who is in the middle of doing something. Instead of saying what she wants directly, she says:
お忙 しい所 申 し訳 ございません、こちらにサインしていただけますか？ I'm sorry to bother you when you're busy, but could you sign right here?
What she is doing here is that she is letting the co-worker know about her awareness of the consequences of her action. The co-worker might not feel good to be interrupted, but she implies that there is nothing she can do to apologize for her action and that she is aware of his or her busy circumstances, hopefully making them feel less upset about being interrupted.
[失礼 ですが]
The third cushion word we are introducing today is “失礼 ですが”. This expression also has an apologetic feeling to it, but it also implies that you are aware you are about to ask something rude. This may sound a little off, since if you know that the question is going to be rude, why ask in the first place? This is connected to the Japanese cultural concept of “心遣 い” or “気遣 い”, which means to be considerate and aware of the other person’s circumstances. The last thing Japanese people want is to offend someone.However, sometimes at work you might encounter a situation where you have to ask questions they may come across as rude or personal. In that case, you can give the person a heads up and apologise in advance with “失礼 ですが”.
For example, imagine yourself at city hall filling out some important documents. The clerk has to confirm your marital status. He might ask you like this:
失礼 ですが、ご結婚 はされていますか？ I’m sorry, but are you married?
Asking personal questions like someone’s marital status may be considered impolite by some people in Japan. Using cushion words will help you make sure you do not accidentally offend someone. You can use “失礼 ですが” anytime you ask someone a somewhat personal question. Next time you ask someone for their name, you could say:
失礼 ですが、お名前 は何 ですか？ Excuse me, but what is your name? They will probably be impressed by your politeness and consideration!
[確 かにその通 りですが]
“確 かにその通 りですが” can be literally translated to English. It means “This is true, but…”. For example:確 かにその通 りですが～のため、出来 ません。 Yes, you are right, but because of ～, we cannot do it.
In both Japanese and English, placing this phrase in front of a refusal will hopefully make the listener feel they are being heard, which usually plays an important role in resolving conflicts.
[ご期待 に添 えず大変 申 し訳 ございませんが]
The next phrase we’ll look at is a bit longer: “ ご期待 に添 えず大変 申 し訳 ございませんが”. This means “I’m terribly sorry to be unable to give you a reply that meets your expectations, but…” - in other words, it is a very wordy way to decline or refuse something or disappoint someone.For example: A: すみません。これ、安 く出来 ますか？ A: Excuse me, is this product discountable? B: ご期待 に沿 えず大変 申 し訳 ございませんが、それはできません。 B: I’m terribly sorry that I could not give you a reply that fulfills your expectations, but we cannot offer a discount on this item.
The last cushion expression we will look at today is “あいにくですが”, which directly translates into “Unfortunately…” in English.
Let’s take a look at an example conversation:
プルルルル…（電話 の着信音 ） (The phone rings)
| A: はい、株式会社
ABCです。 |
| A: Hi this is ABC company. How can I help you? |
| B: ケリーと申
しますがヤマダさんはいらっしゃいますか？ |
| B: This is Kerry, may I speak to Mr. Yamada? |
| A: あいにくですが、彼
は会議中
です。 |
| A: Unfortunately he is in a meeting right now. |
単語リスト（Vocabulary list）
| クッション言葉 | Expressions to soften awkward situations, declining and asking for something |
| 丁寧 | Polite |
| 優 しい | Kind, gentle |
| 印象 | Impression |
| 与 える | To give, to bestow |
| 頼 む | To request, to ask for, to order |
| 断 る | To refuse, to reject, to decline |
| 反対 意見 | Dissenting opinion |
| お手数 ですが | Sorry for the inconvenience, but... |
| お忙 しいところ、申 し訳 ございません | Sorry to disturb you while you’re busy |
| 失礼 ですが | I apologise (for being impolite), but... |
| 確 かにその通 りですが | This is true, but... |
| ご期待 に添 えず大変 申 し訳 ございませんが | I apologise for being unable to meet your expectations, but... |
| あいにく | Unfortunately |
| 会議 | Meeting |