Japanese symbol for “differ”
違う
ちがう
Romaji: chigau
to differ (from); to be different; to be distinct; to be unlike
In Japanese, differ is 違う, read ちがう (chigau).
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
- v5u, vi to differ (from); to be different; to be distinct; to be unlike; to vary; to disagree (with)
- v5u, vi to be wrong; to be incorrect; to be mistaken
- v5u, vi to become abnormal; to go wrong
- exp isn't it?; wasn't it?
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “differ”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 異なる | ことなる kotonaru | to differ; to be different; to disagree |
| 食い違う | くいちがう kuichigau | to differ (e.g. of opinions); to clash; to be in conflict (e.g. with the facts) |
| 異にする | ことにする kotonisuru | to differ (in); to have different ...; to be different (in terms of ...) |
| 相異なる | あいことなる aikotonaru | to be different (from each other); to differ |
| 掛け違う | かけちがう kakechigau | to differ (e.g. of opinions); to clash; to be in conflict |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 違い | ちがい chigai | difference; distinction; discrepancy |
| 間違い | まちがい machigai | mistake; error; blunder |
| 違反 | いはん ihan | violation; offense; offence |
| 違法 | いほう ihou | illegal; illicit; unlawful |
| 勘違い | かんちがい kanchigai | misunderstanding; mistaken idea; wrong guess |
See also: Chinese symbol for “differ”.
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.
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