JLPT N2 · い-adjective

すまない (sumanai)

すまない is a Japanese い-adjective meaning “inexcusable; unjustifiable”. It is usually written in kana. It appears in JLPT N2 vocabulary lists and is marked as a common word in JMdict.

Reading: すまない
Romaji: sumanai
Word class: い-adjective
Level: JLPT N2 (unofficial)

Meaning

inexcusable; unjustifiable; unpardonable · い-adjective · usually written in kana
sorry; remorseful; apologetic; conscience-stricken; contrite · い-adjective · usually written in kana
excuse me; (I'm) sorry; thank you · interjection · usually written in kana

Example sentences

待たせてすまなかったな。

I am sorry to have kept you waiting.

Tatoeba #137944

すまないが今僕、手がいっぱいなのだ。

Excuse me, but I'm tied up now.

Tatoeba #214318

Sentences from the Tatoeba project, linked to this word in JMdict.

Conjugation of すまない

い-adjective. Plain and polite forms below; try any other word in the Japanese verb conjugator.

Form	Japanese	Reading
Present	すまない	すまない sumanai
Negative	すまなくない	すまなくない sumanakunai
Past	すまなかった	すまなかった sumanakatta
Negative past	すまなくなかった	すまなくなかった sumanakunakatta
Te-form	すまなくて	すまなくて sumanakute
Adverb (~ku)	すまなく	すまなく sumanaku
Conditional (~ba)	すまなければ	すまなければ sumanakereba

Source: JMdict entry 1610020 (EDRDG, CC BY-SA 4.0). Level: unofficial JLPT list – how levels are assigned.