Is ごめんなさいませ idiomatic?


If so, how formal is it? Please compare it with other apologies.




It is difficult to talk about the phrase 「ごめんなさい **ませ** 」 mostly because it is
not in wide use (that is unless there actually exists an area that I am
unaware of where it is often said).

I have probably heard it 2-3 times in my life, but that means only once every
10 years or so. I feel like it has (almost) always been an adult woman who I
have heard say it.

To me, a native speaker, 「ごめんなさいませ」 does not necessarily sound formal. In
fact, it actually sounds fairly informal but, at the same time, pretty polite.

If you want to apologize politely, you would be better off using:

「[大変失礼]{たいへんしつれい}いたしました。」、「[本当]{ほんとう}に失礼いたしました。」 or 「本当にごめんなさい。」

because those are what we would use most often ourselves.




It is difficult to talk about the phrase 「ごめんなさい **ませ** 」 mostly because it is
not in wide use (that is unless there actually exists an area that I am
unaware of where it is often said).

I have probably heard it 2-3 times in my life, but that means only once every
10 years or so. I feel like it has (almost) always been an adult woman who I
have heard say it.

To me, a native speaker, 「ごめんなさいませ」 does not necessarily sound formal. In
fact, it actually sounds fairly informal but, at the same time, pretty polite.

If you want to apologize politely, you would be better off using:

「[大変失礼]{たいへんしつれい}いたしました。」、「[本当]{ほんとう}に失礼いたしました。」 or 「本当にごめんなさい。」

because those are what we would use most often ourselves.

