King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “disagree”

Romaji: chigau
to differ (from); to be different; to be distinct; to be unlike

In Japanese, disagree is , read (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

  1. v5u, vi to differ (from); to be different; to be distinct; to be unlike; to vary; to disagree (with)
  2. v5u, vi to be wrong; to be incorrect; to be mistaken
  3. v5u, vi to become abnormal; to go wrong
  4. exp isn't it?; wasn't it?

Kanji and stroke order

difference, differ
on: イ
kun: ちが.う、ちが.い、ちが.える、-ちが.える
13 strokes · JLPT 2

Other Japanese words for “disagree”

WordReadingMeaning
ことなる kotonaruto differ; to be different; to disagree
もめる momeruto disagree; to dispute; to fight (over)
あいはんする aihansuruto be contrary; to run counter (to); to conflict (with)
くびをよこにふる kubioyokonifuruto shake one's head (in disagreement); to disagree; to refuse

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
ちがい chigaidifference; distinction; discrepancy
まちがい machigaimistake; error; blunder
いはん ihanviolation; offense; offence
いほう ihouillegal; illicit; unlawful
かんちがい kanchigaimisunderstanding; mistaken idea; wrong guess

See also: Chinese symbol for “disagree”.

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.