Japanese symbol for “confuse”
間違える
まちがえる
Romaji: machigaeru
to make a mistake (in); to commit an error; to get wrong; to do incorrectly
In Japanese, confuse is 間違える, read まちがえる (machigaeru).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- v1, vt to make a mistake (in); to commit an error; to get wrong; to do incorrectly
- v1, vt to mistake (one thing for another); to confuse
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “confuse”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 間違う | まちがう machigau | to mistake (one thing with another); to confuse |
| 化かす | ばかす bakasu | to bewitch; to confuse; to enchant |
| 煙に巻く | けむにまく kemunimaku | to confuse (someone); to befuddle; to bewilder |
| 狂わせる | くるわせる kuruwaseru | to drive mad; to upset; to disturb |
| 紛える | まがえる magaeru | to imitate; to confuse |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 時間 | じかん jikan | time |
| 人間 | にんげん ningen | human being; human; person |
| 期間 | きかん kikan | period; term; interval |
| 年間 | ねんかん nenkan | (period of) a year |
| 仲間 | なかま nakama | companion; fellow; friend |
| 間違い | まちがい machigai | mistake; error; blunder |
| 違い | ちがい chigai | difference; distinction; discrepancy |
| 違反 | いはん ihan | violation; offense; offence |
See also: Chinese symbol for “confuse”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.