間違う|まちがうmachigau[3]nakadaka (mid-high)
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Definitions
- godan verb, intransitive verbto be mistaken; to be incorrect; to be wrongas 間違っている or 間違った
- godan verb, transitive verbto make a mistake (in); to do incorrectly; to get wrong
- godan verb, transitive verbto mistake (one thing with another); to confuse
Conjugation
| Dictionary form | 間違う（まちがう） |
|---|---|
| Polite (masu) | 間違います（まちがいます） |
| Negative (nai) | 間違わない（まちがわない） |
| polite (masen) | 間違いません（まちがいません） |
| classical zu / nu | 間違わず・間違わぬ（まちがわず・まちがわぬ） |
| Past (ta) | 間違った（まちがった） |
| polite (mashita) | 間違いました（まちがいました） |
| Past negative (nakatta) | 間違わなかった（まちがわなかった） |
| polite (masen deshita) | 間違いませんでした（まちがいませんでした） |
| Te form | 間違って（まちがって） |
| Potential | 間違える（まちがえる） |
| Passive | 間違われる（まちがわれる） |
| Causative | 間違わせる（まちがわせる） |
| Causative passive | 間違わせられる・間違わされる（まちがわせられる・まちがわされる） |
| Conditional (ba) | 間違えば（まちがえば） |
| tara | 間違ったら（まちがったら） |
| Volitional | 間違おう（まちがおう） |
| polite (mashou) | 間違いましょう（まちがいましょう） |
| Imperative | 間違え（まちがえ） |
Common forms generated by rule; see the senses for honorific or irregular usage.
Synonyms & antonyms
- Synonym間違えるまちがえるNeutralTransitive: to get something wrong or mix things up (「道を間違える」). More common than the headword, which usually works intransitively for being wrong.
- Synonym誤るあやまるWrittenWritten/formal: to err (「判断を誤る」). Used mostly for mistakes in judgment or policy.
- Synonym思い違いおもいちがいNeutralA noun for a mistaken idea or impression (「それは思い違いだ」); stresses being wrong in one's thinking.
- Synonym誤認ごにんNeutralA noun for mistaking one thing for another (「誤認逮捕」); frequent in news reports.
- Synonym取り違えるとりちがえるNeutralTo take the wrong one by mistake or get two things reversed (「傘を取り違える」); it can also mean misunderstanding something.
- Synonym失策しっさくNeutralA noun for a blunder (「大失策」); used mostly for errors in judgment.
- Related失敗しっぱいNeutralA noun for failure (「試験に失敗する」); stresses the outcome not working out rather than the error itself.
- Related誤解ごかいNeutralA noun for a misunderstanding (「誤解を招く」); stresses understanding something wrong.
- RelatedしくじるCasualColloquial: to blow it or mess up (「面接をしくじる」).
- RelatedしそこなうNeutralTo fail to do something or miss it (「電車に乗りそこなう」); stresses the failure, not the error itself.
- Related仕損じるしそんじるWrittenWritten/formal: to botch a task (「急いては事を仕損じる」). Uncommon; in daily speech say 「失敗する」.
- Related仕損ずるしそんずるWrittenMeans the same as 「仕損じる」 but with a different conjugation; to botch something. Rare — say 「失敗する」 in everyday speech.
- RelatedしでかすNeutralTo cause trouble or do something outrageous (「とんでもないことをしでかす」); carries a negative nuance.
- Related遣り損なうやりそこなうCasualColloquial: to botch or fail at something; same meaning as 「し損なう」.
- RelatedしくるCasualVery casual slang: a shortened form of 「しくじる」.
- Related読み違えるよみちがえるNeutralTo misread or misjudge something (「情勢を読み違える」); limited to reading or assessing wrongly.
- Related過つあやまつWrittenWritten/formal and rare: to err or slip. The related noun is 「過ち」 (「過ちを犯す」).
- Related曲解きょっかいNeutralA noun for deliberately twisting what someone says (「発言を曲解する」); the misreading is intentional.
- Antonym正しいただしいNeutralAntonym: correct or right — the opposite of being wrong.
- Antonym合うあうNeutralAntonym: to match or add up — the opposite of being wrong.
For something being wrong or getting something wrong, use 「間違う」 (「間違った答え」); in the transitive sense, 「間違える」 is more common. Use 「誤る」 for misjudgments, 「しくじる」 for botching something, and 「誤解」 for misunderstandings. Nouns such as 「失敗」, 「思い違い」, 「誤認」, 「曲解」 and 「失策」 name particular kinds of errors, while 「し損なう」 and its variants stress failure rather than error. The opposite of being wrong is 「正しい」.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese definitions
Kanji in this word
