Translation guide
The concept of not being careful enough, leading to mistakes or accidents. In Japanese, this is expressed through nouns, adjectives, and verbs that describe a lack of attention, negligence, or thoughtlessness.
Describing a state or act of not paying enough attention, resulting in errors or mishaps.
The most common and neutral word for carelessness or inattention. Can be used for both minor slip-ups and more serious negligence.
The accident happened due to his carelessness.
A little carelessness can lead to a big mistake.
An adverb or suru-verb describing an unintentional, absent-minded mistake. Often used for forgetting things or making silly errors.
I carelessly missed my train stop.
I carelessly forgot the appointment.
An adjective describing a person who is habitually careless, hasty, or scatterbrained. Often used for someone who makes frequent small mistakes.
He's so careless that he often loses things.
Rashness or thoughtlessness, implying a lack of careful consideration before acting. More formal than 不注意.
I hurt the other person with my careless remark.
Negligence due to overconfidence or letting one's guard down. Often used in warnings or proverbs.
Carelessness is a great enemy. (Proverb: Unpreparedness is one's worst enemy.)
Expressing a more serious lack of care, often with legal or moral implications.
Negligence or fault, especially in legal or formal contexts. Implies responsibility for a mistake or accident.
The accident was due to the driver's negligence.
Negligence or dereliction of duty, often used in professional or official contexts. Implies a failure to fulfill one's responsibilities.
Referring to a specific error caused by not being careful.
不注意 is a noun/adjective meaning 'carelessness' or 'inattention' and can be used in formal contexts. うっかり is an adverb/suru-verb for absent-minded, unintentional mistakes. そそっかしい describes a person's character as habitually careless or hasty.
While 不注意 can describe a person's state, calling someone 不注意な人 is less common than using そそっかしい or うっかり者. For a person who is generally careless, そそっかしい or うっかり者 is more natural.
彼の怠慢がプロジェクトの遅れを招いた。
His negligence caused the project delay.
I made another mistake. I need to be more careful.