Usage note
道歉表示为自己做错的事表示歉意。
dào qiàn biǎo shì wèi zì jǐ zuò cuò de shì biǎo shì qiàn yì。
Apologizing means expressing regret for something wrong.
Context note
道歉常出现在礼貌、冲突和修复关系里。
dào qiàn cháng chū xiàn zài lǐ mào 、 chōng tū hé xiū fù guān xì lǐ。
Apologizing often appears in politeness, conflict, and repairing relationships.
5 examples
我向他道歉。
wǒ xiàng tā dào qiàn。
I apologized to him.
你应该道歉。
nǐ yīng gāi dào qiàn。
You should apologize.
他认真道歉了。
tā rèn zhēn dào qiàn le。
He apologized sincerely.
道歉以后，大家都安静下来。
dào qiàn yǐ hòu， dà jiā dōu ān jìng xià lái。
After apologizing, everyone became quiet.
请为你的错误道歉。
qǐng wèi nǐ de cuò wù dào qiàn。
Please apologize for your mistake.
5 mini stories
我不小心碰到了同学，就马上道歉。
wǒ bù xiǎo xīn pèng dào le tóng xué， jiù mǎ shàng dào qiàn。
I accidentally bumped into a classmate, so I apologized immediately.
老师说做错事要及时道歉。
lǎo shī shuō zuò cuò shì yào jí shí dào qiàn。
The teacher said you should apologize promptly when you do something wrong.
他认真道歉以后，朋友原谅了他。
tā rèn zhēn dào qiàn yǐ hòu， péng yǒu yuán liàng le tā。
After he apologized sincerely, his friend forgave him.
道歉的时候，说话要真诚。
dào qiàn de shí hòu， shuō huà yào zhēn chéng。
When apologizing, you should speak sincerely.
我觉得道歉是很重要的礼貌。
wǒ jué de dào qiàn shì hěn zhòng yào de lǐ mào。
I think apologizing is a very important form of politeness.
Mini dialogue
对不起
A
我不小心弄坏了你的笔，我向你道歉。
Wǒ bù xiǎoxīn nòng huài le nǐ de bǐ, wǒ xiàng nǐ dàoqiàn.
I accidentally broke your pen. I apologize to you.
B
没关系，你道歉了就好。
Méiguānxi, nǐ dàoqiàn le jiù hǎo.
It's okay. It's fine as long as you apologized.
学会道歉
A
做错事要勇敢道歉。
Zuò cuò shì yào yǒnggǎn dàoqiàn.
Apologize bravely when you do something wrong.
B
对，道歉是很好的习惯。
Duì, dàoqiàn shì hěn hǎo de xíguàn.
Right, apologizing is a very good habit.
Related words and contrasts
similar
对不起
duìbuqǐ
sorry
A common way to say sorry
related
原谅
yuánliàng
to forgive
What you hope for when you apologize