对不起 meaning in English
I'm sorry; excuse me; I beg your pardon; to let (sb) down; to disappoint
Meaning of 对不起
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- I'm sorry; excuse me; I beg your pardon
- to let (sb) down; to disappoint
How to use 对不起
对不起 is the standard way to say sorry for a mistake, and it can also mean "excuse me" before interrupting. It can take an object to mean letting someone down. Example: 对不起，我来晚了。(Duìbuqǐ, wǒ lái wǎn le.) Sorry, I'm late.
对 (duì) means "to face" and 起 (qǐ) means "to rise up," so 对不起 is like saying "I cannot face you and stand tall." The 不 (bu) in the middle is the "not" that makes it an apology.
Common mistake: Learners often stress 不 with a full fourth tone. In 对不起 it is light and neutral: duìbuqǐ. Also, do not use 对不起 to ask a stranger for directions. 请问 (qǐngwèn) or 不好意思 (bù hǎoyìsi) sounds more natural there.
对不起 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
对 duì · right · 5 strokes
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不 bù · no · 4 strokes
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起 qǐ · to rise · 10 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 对不起.
| 一起 | yīqǐ | (in) the same place; together; in company (with) |
| 起来 | qǐlái | to stand up; to get up; also pr. [qi3lai2] |
| 是不是 | shì bu shì | is or is not (used to form yes-no questions) |
| 不用 | bùyòng | need not |
| 起床 | qǐchuáng | to get out of bed; to get up |
| 不大 | bù dà | not very (clear, far away etc); not too; not often; infrequently |
| 不对 | bùduì | incorrect; wrong |
| 不客气 | bù kèqì | you're welcome; don't mention it |
| 不要 | bùyào | don't!; must not |
| 不过 | bùguò | only; merely |
| 不错 | bùcuò | correct; right |
| 不行 | bùxíng | won't do; be out of the question |
Questions about 对不起
What does 对不起 mean?
对不起 (duìbuqǐ) means "I'm sorry; excuse me; I beg your pardon; to let (sb) down; to disappoint" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 对不起?
对不起 is made of 3 characters: 对 (5 strokes), 不 (4 strokes), 起 (10 strokes). That is 19 strokes in total.
Is 对不起 an HSK word?
Yes. 对不起 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 对不起 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 对不起 is written 對不起.
How do you reply when someone says 对不起?
The most common reply is 没关系 (méi guānxi), meaning "it's okay" or "no problem." You can also say 没事 (méi shì) in casual speech.
What does 对不起 mean when it has an object, like 对不起你?
With an object it means "to let someone down" or "to wrong someone." For example, 我对不起我的父母 (wǒ duìbuqǐ wǒ de fùmǔ) means "I have let my parents down."