How to Say “Sorry, I’m gonna be late.” in Japanese

How do you say “I’m gonna be late.” in Japanese?

Today’s phrase is :

Sorry, I’m gonna be late.

ごめん、遅れる。

 gomen okureru

If you want to speak politely, you can say :

すみません、遅れます。

 sumimasen* okuremasu

*We pronounce like “suimasen” in spoken language.


  • Sorry = ごめん gomen
  • I’m gonna be late = わたしは遅れる watashiwa okureru

We do not usually say “わたしは (= I)” in everyday conversation.

So how do you say “Sorry, I’m gonna be a little late.” ?

You can say like this :

ごめん、ちょっと遅れる。

 gomen chotto okureru

Or politely :

すみません、少し遅れます。

 sumimasen sukoshi okuremasu

“ちょっと” and “少し” mean “a little”. You can use them interchangeably, but “少し” sounds a little more polite.