The Meaning of machigaeru [間違える] In Japanese

間違える
まちがえる
Romaji: machigaeru N5

What does 間違える mean?

Translation and Meaning

to make a mistake, to err

Definition

What does 間違える mean? It means to make a mistake or to err in performing an action or forming a judgment. It describes incorrectness in a task, perception, or memory and is used across casual and formal registers with appropriate conjugation.

Type

Verb (ichidan, ru-verb)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • to make a mistake in an action or task
  • to be mistaken or misperceive
  • to misinterpret or misread when combined with a verb like 見る or 聞く

Etymology

Kun’yomi machigae-ru; formed from the verb stem machigae- plus the -る ending to create a ru-verb, with 間違 combining the concepts of a gap or difference that yields error

Composition

  • 間: between, interval, space
  • 違: to differ, to be wrong
  • える: verb ending that marks a ru-verb, indicating the action of making an error

Usage

Used in both informal and formal contexts to describe making mistakes. In speaking, まちがえた expresses past casual mistakes; in polite form, まちがえました; it also appears in phrases like Xを間違える to indicate you mistook X or misjudged X, and in compound constructions such as 見間違える or 聞き間違える to describe misperception.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: picture a gap (間) between your belief and reality, and think of 違 as a difference that makes you wrong; say machigae-ru aloud to anchor the -e-ru ending

Variations

  • 誤る (ayamaru) — to err
  • 見間違える (mimachigaeru) — to missee, misread
  • 間違いを正す (machigai o tadasu) — to correct a mistake
間違える