Apologetic Expression in Japanese “Sumimasen” and Indonesian “Maaf” --A comparative review--

The purpose of this study is to compare apologetic expression in Japanese and Indonesian language, identify in what kind of situations do the native speakers of both countries make apologies, as well as difference between them. This research used a survey method which took time between May 20th to 25th, 2016. Survey questionnaires are distributed and collected directly to 30 Japanese people, and through LINE application to 30 Indonesian people. Both questionnaire surveys are conducted with exactly the same 10 questions. Each question is further investigated while comparing the figures of the questionnaire results of both Indonesia and Japan. The results showed that (1) Generally, when Japanese people do something wrong with their friends, they often use "gomennasai, gomen" rather than "sumimasen." However, Indonesian people say "Maaf” as it is in the same scene. (2) In the scene of a crowded train, when someone gives you a seat, there are relatively few Japanese and Indonesian who say "sumimasen" and "MAAF". (3) As predicted, "sumimasen" is considered to be a polite language by the Japanese. On the other hand, "MAAF" is considered to be a very polite word by Indonesians, and it can be used to anyone regardless of the relationship between them. (4) While Japanese people are saying "sumimasen", they express a request to others, but unlike that, Indonesian people express that they have done a bad thing to others so they say “maaf”. In the future, when researching the same subject, the next researcher needs more than 50 questionnaires from Japanese and Indonesian, and in many cases, the survey results will be spread and get further understood.