How to say "discrepancy" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 違いちがいnounThe plain, general word for a difference between two things; it renders discrepancy in that broad sense, without specifically implying an error or a failure to match.
- 錯誤さくごnounA formal word for a mistake or error, especially in thought or reasoning; for 'discrepancy' it is seldom the word you want, since it denotes the error itself rather than a mismatch.
- 相違そういnoun, suru verb, intransitive verbThe formal counterpart of 違い, typical of written and business language; reach for it when a difference or discrepancy between two things needs to be stated in careful prose.
- 食い違いくいちがいnounThe word for a discrepancy proper: things that should match but do not, such as conflicting statements, accounts, or figures; it also covers disagreement or clash between people.
- 誤差ごさnounSpecifically a numerical discrepancy: the gap between a measured or calculated value and the true or expected one, typical of measurement, statistics, and engineering.
For a plain difference use 「違い」, or 相違 in formal writing; for statements or figures that fail to match use 「食い違い」; for gaps in measured or calculated values use 誤差; 錯誤 really means error, not discrepancy.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
- 違いちがいdifference
- 錯誤さくごmistake
- 相違そういdifference
- 食い違いくいちがいdifference
- 不一致ふいっちdiscrepancy
- アンマッチdiscrepancy
- ディスクレdiscrepancy (esp. in shipping documentation)
- ディスクレパンシーdiscrepancy
- 懸隔けんかくdifference
- 不突合ふとつごうdiscordance
- 齟齬そごinconsistency
- 不具合ふぐあいflaw
- 牴牾ていごdisagreement
- 誤差ごさdiscrepancy
- ギャップdifference
- ずれdifference
- 断層だんそうgap
- すれ違いすれちがい(being at) cross purposes
- 掛け違いかけちがいdisagreement
See also
This browser can't play pronunciations (needs Safari 18.4 or later, or Chrome / Edge / Firefox).
