How to say Sorry in Vietnamese

Don’t know how to say “sorry” in Vietnamese?

Whether your goal is Vietnamese fluency or just enough to survive a trip to Hanoi, learning to say “sorry” is an important skill.

Sorry - Xin lỗi

You can use Xin lỗi to say sorry or to catch someone attention.

To apologize sincerely, you can add Subject at the beginning. You can also add rất as "very".

Không cố ý - Didn't mean it!

Make a mistake and want to show your regret? You can say Tôi không cố ý.

This phrase is equivalent to "I didn't mean it" in English.

For a double effect, you can say a full sentence: Tôi xin lỗi. Tôi không cố ý!

Lấy làm tiếc - Expressing sympathy

If someone is hurt or had bad things happen to them, you can use lấy làm tiếc or Rất tiếc (very sorry) to express sympathy.

More phrases to say sorry

• Sorry, I didn’t mean to do that: Xin lỗi, tôi không cố ý làm vậy.
• I owe you an apology: Tôi nợ bạn một lời xin lỗi.
• Please forgive me: Làm ơn hãy tha thứ cho tôi.