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Which phrase tells someone politely 'I'm sorry. I don't quite understand'?

Sumimasen. Yoku wakarimasen. (すみません。よくわかりません。)

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  1. Sumimasen. Yoku wakarimasen. (すみません。よくわかりません。) ✔
  2. Sumimasen. Wakarimashita. (すみません。わかりました。)
  3. Hajimemashite. Yoroshiku onegai-shimasu. (はじめまして。よろしくお願いします。)

Why: Wakarimasen means 'don't understand', and yoku makes it softer. Wakarimashita is the opposite, 'I see' or 'I understand'. Use it when you cannot follow what was said.

Huh, didn't know that: NHK notes that adding yoku before wakarimasen makes it more polite.

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Answer: Sumimasen. Yoku wakarimasen. (すみません。よくわかりません。). Wakarimasen means 'don't understand', and yoku makes it softer. Wakarimashita is the opposite, 'I see' or 'I understand'. Use it when you cannot follow what was said.

  1. NHK WORLD-JAPAN Easy Japanese, Lesson 7 www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/lesson/en/lessons/07.html
    Sumimasen. Yoku wakarimasen. I’m sorry. I don’t quite understand.
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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