勘違い|かんちがいkanchigai[3]nakadaka (mid-high)

JLPT N2approx.Common
Definitions
  1. noun, suru verb, intransitive verbmisunderstanding; mistaken idea; wrong guess
    彼かれはクラスで一番いちばん頭あたまがいいと勘違かんちがいしている。↗
    He has the illusion that he is the smartest in his class.
Conjugation
Dictionary form勘違いする(かんちがいする)
Polite (masu)勘違いします(かんちがいします)
Negative (nai)勘違いしない(かんちがいしない)
polite (masen)勘違いしません(かんちがいしません)
classical zu / nu勘違いせず・勘違いせぬ(かんちがいせず・かんちがいせぬ)
Past (ta)勘違いした(かんちがいした)
polite (mashita)勘違いしました(かんちがいしました)
Past negative (nakatta)勘違いしなかった(かんちがいしなかった)
polite (masen deshita)勘違いしませんでした(かんちがいしませんでした)
Te form勘違いして(かんちがいして)
Potential勘違いできる(かんちがいできる)
Passive勘違いされる(かんちがいされる)
Causative勘違いさせる(かんちがいさせる)
Causative passive勘違いさせられる(かんちがいさせられる)
Conditional (ba)勘違いすれば(かんちがいすれば)
tara勘違いしたら(かんちがいしたら)
Volitional勘違いしよう(かんちがいしよう)
polite (mashou)勘違いしましょう(かんちがいしましょう)
Imperative勘違いしろ(かんちがいしろ)

Common forms generated by rule; see the senses for honorific or irregular usage.

Synonyms & antonyms
  • Synonym誤解ごかいNeutralFocuses on getting someone's words or the facts wrong, often involving other people, as in 「誤解を招く」; 「勘違い」 is jumping to a wrong conclusion on your own.
  • Synonym思い違いおもいちがいNeutralNearly identical in meaning and often interchangeable; both mean taking something untrue to be true, but 「勘違い」 is more common and more colloquial.
  • Synonym誤認ごにんWrittenWritten/formal prose: mistaking one thing for another, as in 「事実誤認」; common in news reports and official documents, while 「勘違い」 is everyday speech.
  • Synonym取り違えるとりちがえるNeutralA verb for mixing up two things or taking the wrong one, as in 「靴を取り違える」; it can also mean misunderstanding, but 「勘違い」 is about thinking wrong.
  • Synonym考え違いかんがえちがいNeutralStresses that the idea or belief itself is mistaken, as in 「とんだ考え違い」; 「勘違い」 is a momentary wrong assumption about a specific matter.
  • Related間違えるまちがえるNeutralThe broadest verb for making a mistake, doing something wrong or mixing things up; 「勘違い」 is reserved for being wrong in what you assume or believe.
  • Related取り違えとりちがえNeutralA noun for mixing up two things or taking the wrong one; it can also mean misunderstanding, but 「勘違い」 centres on thinking wrong in your head.
  • Related読み違えるよみちがえるNeutralA verb for misreading text or misinterpreting its content; 「勘違い」 is not limited to reading and covers wrong assumptions generally.
  • Related曲解きょっかいWrittenWritten/formal prose: deliberately twisting someone's words or meaning, with subjective intent; 「勘違い」 is an unintentional wrong assumption.
  • Related誤読ごどくWrittenWritten/formal prose: misreading a kanji or word, or misunderstanding an author's intent; 「勘違い」 is not limited to reading and is more common in daily use.
  • Related読み誤るよみあやまるNeutralA verb for misreading or mispronouncing, and for misjudging a situation, as in 「相手を読み誤る」; 「勘違い」 centres on assuming without checking.
  • Related誤認識ごにんしきWrittenWritten/formal prose: failing to recognise something correctly and taking it for something else, said of facts or situations; 「勘違い」 is more colloquial.
  • Related読み間違えるよみまちがえるNeutralA verb, common in speech, for misreading text or misunderstanding its content; 「勘違い」 is not limited to reading.
  • Antonym正解せいかいNeutralAn antonym: the correct answer or right judgement; in contexts of judging right from wrong it contrasts with 「勘違い」, which means you got it wrong.
  • Antonym理解りかいNeutralAn antonym: correctly grasping a meaning or situation; it stands opposite 「勘違い」, where you get things wrong in your own mind.

Use 「勘違い」 for a wrong idea you arrive at yourself. For misunderstanding someone's words or the facts, 「誤解」 is the usual choice. In written prose, 「誤認」 covers mistaking one thing for another and 「曲解」 deliberate distortion. Use 「取り違える」 for mixing up two things, 「間違える」 for mistakes in general, and 「読み違える」 for misreading text.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

Japanese definitions
  1. 間違まちがって思い込おもいこんでしまうこと。
Kanji in this word
English equivalents

JLPT vocabulary levels are community estimates, not official (no official lists have been published since the 2010 revision).

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