How do you say "wrong" in Japanese?

In Japanese, "wrong" is 間違った (machigatta). It is a adjective pronounced "mah-chee-gah-ttah".

Listen to the pronunciation:

Pronunciation

間違った is written in kanji and hiragana. Romanised as machigatta, it sounds roughly like "mah-chee-gah-ttah" to an English ear.

Example sentence

この答えは間違っています。

Kono kotae wa machigatte imasu.

This answer is wrong.

Usage notes

Machigatta (間違った) is a past-participle adjective from machigaeru (to make a mistake). In natural speech, machigatte imasu or chigaimasu are common ways to say something is wrong. Use it carefully as it can be blunt.

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Questions about 間違った

How do you pronounce 間違った?

間違った is romanised as machigatta. Say it roughly like "mah-chee-gah-ttah" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is 間違った formal or casual?

間違った is a na-adjective or noun-adjective. It is neutral in register and fits naturally in both casual and polite sentences. Add na before a noun, or use desu for a polite predicate.

How is 間違った written in Japanese?

間違った is written using kanji and hiragana. Kanji characters carry the core meaning; any hiragana or katakana that follow show grammatical endings.

This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Japanese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation.