Sumimasen(also can be pronounced as Suimasen) is a very versatile word to remember in Japanese language.
It can carry a lot of meanings such as
- To say sorry
- To say thank you
- To get someone’s attention
To say sorry
You can use sumimasen when you accidentally bumped a person or other cases that you want to say sorry.
To say thank you
When somebody helps you with something, you can use sumimasen. It’s more like saying I’m sorry to bother you with this, but I’m really grateful for the help.
To get someone’s attention
For example when you want to ask someone for directions, you can say :
Japanese : Sumimasen, eki(station) made(to) annai(guide) dekimasuka(can you)?
English : Excuse me, can you guide me to the station?