How do you say "wrong" in Japanese?

間違った

machigatta

Adjective Kanji

In Japanese, "wrong" is 間違った (machigatta).

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Pronunciation

間違った is written using kanji. Romanised as machigatta, it sounds roughly like "mah-chee-gaht-tah" to an English ear.

Writing and usage

Machigatta (間違った) is the past-participle form of machigaeru (to make a mistake). In natural conversation, machigatte imasu or chigaimasu sound more natural than machigatta desu when pointing out an error.

Example sentence

この答えは間違っています。

Kono kotae wa machigatte imasu.

This answer is wrong.

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How to remember 間違った

Machigau contains 間, the kanji for gap or space. A mistake happens when something goes into the wrong space or gap.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

See more Japanese adjectives.

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-gaht-tah" 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 neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.

How is 間違った written in Japanese?

間違った is written using kanji. Machigatta (間違った) is the past-participle form of machigaeru (to make a mistake).

Where can I practice Japanese words for free?

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"Wrong" in other languages

Curated by Callan Ratcliffe

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