不好意思

bùhǎoyìsi

phrase HSK 2 #670

Meanings

Literally 'not good feeling' — used for mild embarrassment or casual apologies.

不好意思，我迟到了。

Bùhǎoyìsi, wǒ chídào le.

Sorry, I'm late.

不好意思，请问洗手间在哪儿？

Bùhǎoyìsi, qǐngwèn xǐshǒujiān zài nǎr?

Excuse me, where is the restroom?

他不好意思说出来。

Tā bùhǎoyìsi shuōchūlái.

He was too embarrassed to say it.

usage

Lighter than 对不起. Use 不好意思 for small inconveniences, 对不起 for real apologies.

culture

Chinese people often say 不好意思 when receiving compliments or gifts — a modest deflection.

不 bù

好 hǎo

意 yì

思 sī