Excuse me
ik-SKYOOZ-mee /ɪkˈskjuːz miː/
Neutral Depends on context
What it really means
Used to get a stranger's attention, to ask someone to move, or before a question. Said with a sharp rising tone ("Excuse me?!") it can instead express offence, meaning "how dare you".
Chinese explanation
用于引起陌生人注意、请人让路或提问之前。但如果语调尖锐上扬（Excuse me?!），则是表达不满，相当于"你说什么？！/岂有此理"。
Example conversation
A: Excuse me, is this the queue for tickets?
B: It is, I'm afraid. Twenty minutes at least.
A：请问一下，这是买票的队吗？
B：恐怕是的，起码要排二十分钟。
All Politeness Decoder
Reviewed by the UK Decoded editorial team
· Last checked 24 July 2026 · Report a mistake