Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 間違い | machigai | [ma̠t͡ɕiɡa̠i] (narrow) |
| 過ち | ayamachi | [a̠ja̠ma̠t͡ɕi] (narrow) |
| 誤り | ayamari | [a̠ja̠ma̠ɾʲi] (narrow) |
| 錯誤 | sakugo | [sa̠kɯ̟ɡo̞] (narrow) |
| ミス | misu | [mʲisɨ] (narrow) |
| エラー | erā | [e̞ɾa̠ː] (narrow) |
The most common and versatile word for a mistake or error in daily life is 間違い. Other terms exist depending on whether you are describing a technical glitch, a moral failing or a simple slip-up.
Which one should you use?
The choice of word depends on the context of the error. 間違い is a neutral, versatile term for any mistake. ミス is a loanword from the English 'miss' and is used colloquially to describe a blunder or slip-up. For technical contexts like computer or system malfunctions, use エラー. In formal, objective or academic settings, 誤り is used to denote an error or an unintentional deviation from what is correct. In contrast, 過ち refers to much more serious mistakes, often carrying moral weight or implying a grave sin. If you want to express a misunderstanding or a misconception of a situation, use the related term 勘違い or 誤解する.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun ミス can be turned into a verb by adding る to form ミスる, which means 'to make a mistake' or 'to mess up'.
How do you pronounce it?
machigai
Did you know?
- The word 間違い (machigai) is built from the characters for 'between' and 'different'.
- Japanese distinguishes between 勘違い (kanchigai), which is a personal misconception, and 誤解 (gokai), which is a mutual misunderstanding between people.
- The verb ミスる is a modern linguistic hybrid called 'wasei-eigo', where an English noun is treated as a Japanese verb root by adding る.
Examples in context
- ミスでした。It was a mistake.This sentence is useful for stating that something was a mistake using the form ミス.Tatoeba #12055984 by small_snow, translation #1548104 by Spamster
- 弘法も筆の誤り。Anyone can make a mistake.This sentence uses the form 誤り in a common proverb to express that even experts can make mistakes.Tatoeba #173605 by tommy_san, translation #1550057 by CK
- すまんミスった。Sorry, I made a mistake.This sentence shows a colloquial way to apologize for making a mistake using the form ミス.Tatoeba #2312232 by tommy_san, translation #2312025 by CK
- 〜すみません、私の誤りでした。〜Excuse me, it was my mistake.
- 〜私は間違いを犯しました。〜I made a mistake.
- 〜プレゼンテーションでミスをしました。〜I made a mistake in the presentation.
- 〜今回のテストで、問題を間違えちゃった。〜I made a mistake on the problems in this test.
- 〜ゲームでミスった！〜I messed up in the game!
- 118 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A young man and woman are checking a document together.
- 陽太 Yotaこの書類に間違いがあります。Kono shorui ni machigai ga arimasu.There is a mistake in this document.
- 陽葵 Himari本当ですか？どこですか？Hontou desu ka? Doko desu ka?Really? Where is it?
- 陽太 Yota日付の間違いですよ。Hizuke no machigai desu yo.It's a mistake in the date.
- 陽葵 Himariすみません、すぐに直します。Sumimasen, sugu ni naoshimasu.I am sorry, I will fix it immediately.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “mistake” translations and entries 間違い, 過ち, 誤り, 錯誤, ミス, エラー, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
