詫わび

わ

び

○

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

noun

A formal or sincere apology; often used with the honorific prefix お (お詫び) in polite contexts.

詫わびUsage66%
Standard kanji spelling; the polite prefix お is often added (お詫び).
わびUsage34%
Kana spelling is common in everyday writing, especially when the kanji is not needed.

謝しゃ罪ざい
謝罪 is a more formal, often public apology, while 詫び (especially お詫び) is a personal, sincere apology.
すみません
すみません is a casual, everyday apology or expression of thanks, while 詫び is a deeper, more formal apology.

Derived from the verb 詫びる (わびる, to apologize). The noun form 詫び is used in formal apologies, often with the honorific prefix お.