How to say 'Misunderstanding' in Japanese | 勘違い

word

Meaning

Misunderstanding

Reading

Kanji

勘Check, Intuition 違Differ, Different

Explanation

The Japanese verbal noun '勘違い (かんちがい)' means 'misunderstanding' or 'mistaken assumption'. It refers to a situation where someone has misunderstood or misinterpreted something, often leading to confusion or incorrect conclusions. This word is commonly used in everyday conversation to describe minor or significant errors in perception or judgment. For example: I misunderstood the time「時間を勘違いした」(じかんをかんちがいした). She thought I was angry, but it was a misunderstanding「彼女は私が怒っていると勘違いした」(かのじょはわたしがおこっているとかんちがいした). The term can also imply a sense of self-awareness when realizing one's own mistake, as in 'I was mistaken'「勘違いしていた」(かんちがいしていた).

Part Of Speech

verbal noun

Kanji JLPT

Kanji Grade

Frequency

4899

Composition

kanji-hiragana

Handwriting