Japanese symbol for “difference”
違い
ちがい
Romaji: chigai
difference; distinction; discrepancy
In Japanese, difference is 違い, read ちがい (chigai).
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
- n difference; distinction; discrepancy
- n mistake; error
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “difference”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 差 | さ sa | difference; variation |
| 相違 | そうい soui | difference; discrepancy; variation |
| 区別 | くべつ kubetsu | distinction; differentiation; discrimination |
| 食い違い | くいちがい kuichigai | difference; disagreement; conflict |
| 差異 | さい sai | difference; disparity; gap |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 間違い | まちがい machigai | mistake; error; blunder |
| 違反 | いはん ihan | violation; offense; offence |
| 違う | ちがう chigau | to differ (from); to be different; to be distinct |
| 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 “difference”.
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.