Why replying “sumimasen” to “douzo”?

5 comments

1. すみ ませ ん【済みません】
   （連語）
   相手に謝るとき，礼を言うとき，依頼をするときなどに言う語。
   A word said when apologizing to, when thanking, when making a request etc. to the other party.

2. > Isn’t “ありがとう” a better answer?

   ありがとう(ございます) works too, idk how to define “better” though. It’s not like there’s a right or wrong answer.

   > Or this is kinda “sorry for the disturb”?

   Pretty much.

3. ありがとう as thank you in this context implies 上から目線 so すみません would be more appropriate unless that’s what you’re shooting for.

4. I recommend this Tofugu post about sumimasen:

   [Sorry for Saying Thank You The Many Uses Of Sumimasen](https://www.tofugu.com/japanese/sumimasen/)

   Tldr: “In this sense, sumimasen has the ability to express both a sense of regret and thankfulness. In fact, using sumimasen in **situations involving debt to another** like the one above could be regarded as a **more polite thank you than arigatou**, as it shows the speaker’s awareness of the other person’s trouble and also adds a tone of **humbleness**.”

5. It kinda means ‘sorry for inconvenience’ in that context. Just being polite.