Japanese symbol for “gaffe”
過言
かごん
Romaji: kagon
exaggeration; overstatement; saying too much
In Japanese, gaffe is 過言, read かごん (kagon).
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 exaggeration; overstatement; saying too much
- n misstatement; slip of the tongue; gaffe
Written forms: 過言. Readings: かごん、かげん.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “gaffe”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ヘマ | ヘマ hema | blunder; bungle; gaffe |
| 言い損ない | いいそこない iisokonai | slip of the tongue; verbal mistake; using the wrong words |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 過去 | かこ kako | the past; bygone days |
| 過ぎ | すぎ sugi | past; after |
| 過程 | かてい katei | process; course; mechanism |
| 経過 | けいか keika | passage (of time); elapsing; lapse |
| 通過 | つうか tsuuka | passing through (a tunnel, station, town, etc.); passing by (e.g. of a typhoon); transit |
| 過剰 | かじょう kajou | excess; surplus; superabundance |
| 言う | いう iu | to say; to utter; to declare |
| 言葉 | ことば kotoba | language; dialect |
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.