Japanese symbol for “mistake”
間違い
まちがい
Romaji: machigai
mistake; error; blunder
In Japanese, mistake is 間違い, read まちがい (machigai).
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 mistake; error; blunder
- n accident; mishap; trouble
- n improper conduct (e.g. between man and woman); indiscretion
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “mistake”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 失敗 | しっぱい shippai | failure; mistake; blunder |
| ミス | ミス misu | mistake; error; blunder |
| 違い | ちがい chigai | mistake; error |
| 誤り | あやまり ayamari | error; mistake; slip |
| 錯誤 | さくご sakugo | mistake; error; discrepancy |
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 |
| 違い | ちがい chigai | difference; distinction; discrepancy |
| 違反 | いはん ihan | violation; offense; offence |
| 違う | ちがう chigau | to differ (from); to be different; to be distinct |
See also: Chinese symbol for “mistake”.
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.