Translation guide
How to express that an action was performed incorrectly, made a mistake, or got something wrong in Japanese.
General expression for doing something incorrectly or making an error.
The most common and versatile verb for 'to make a mistake' or 'to do incorrectly'. Transitive; takes the thing mistaken as object.
Intransitive counterpart of 間違える. Often used when the subject itself is wrong or mistaken, or in set phrases.
答えが間違っている。
The answer is wrong.
To make a mistake (from English 'miss'). Common in casual and business contexts.
仕事でミスをした。
I made a mistake at work.
To fail; to mess up. Implies a more significant failure than a simple mistake.
実験に失敗した。
The experiment failed.
Describing that an action was performed in an incorrect manner.
Attach to the masu-stem of a verb to mean 'do ~ the wrong way'.
ボタンの押し方を間違えた。
I pressed the button the wrong way.
漢字の書き方を間違えた。
I wrote the kanji incorrectly.
Use a negative form with ちゃんと or きちんと to imply not doing something properly/correctly.
ちゃんと説明しなかった。
I didn't explain it properly.
Doing something incorrectly due to misunderstanding.
To misunderstand, to get the wrong idea, leading to an incorrect action.
時間を勘違いして遅刻した。
I got the time wrong and was late.
To be under a mistaken impression; similar to 勘違い but slightly more formal/literary.
それは思い違いだ。
That's a misunderstanding.
Specifically making an error in writing or speaking.
To write incorrectly; to make a mistake in writing.
住所を書き間違えた。
I wrote the address wrong.
To say incorrectly; to misspeak.
名前を言い間違えた。
I said the name wrong.
間違える is transitive and focuses on the act of mistaking something. 間違う is intransitive and often describes a state of being wrong. In casual speech, 間違う is sometimes used transitively, but 間違える is preferred in standard Japanese.
道を間違えた。（○）
I took the wrong road.
道を間違った。（△ casual）
I took the wrong road. (casual)