Translation guide
How to express becoming involved in something, often unintentionally or with negative consequences, in Japanese.
Expressing that someone gets caught up in an undesirable event or situation, often through no fault of their own.
Passive form of 巻き込む (to involve). Used when someone is unwillingly drawn into a situation, especially trouble or conflict.
彼はトラブルに巻き込まれた。
He got mixed up in trouble.
I ended up getting mixed up in the incident.
Active form meaning to involve someone else. Use when the subject is the one causing the involvement.
彼は私をトラブルに巻き込んだ。
He got me mixed up in trouble.
To be involved or have a connection with something, often with a nuance of getting entangled. Can be used for both positive and negative involvement.
あの人とは関わらないほうがいい。
You shouldn't get mixed up with that person.
変な事件に関わってしまった。
I got mixed up in a strange incident.
Literally 'to stick one's neck into'. An idiomatic expression meaning to meddle or get involved in something, often unnecessarily or recklessly.
彼はまた面倒なことに首を突っ込んだ。
He got mixed up in another troublesome matter.
Expressing that someone confuses one thing with another, or makes an error in understanding or memory.
To mix up or confuse two or more things. Used when someone mistakes one thing for another.
彼は日付を混同してしまった。
He got mixed up about the dates.
似た名前を混同しないでください。
Please don't get the similar names mixed up.
To make a mistake or confuse. A general verb for errors, including mixing up information.
To become jumbled or mixed up in a disorderly way. Often used for physical objects or thoughts.
頭の中がごちゃごちゃになってきた。
I'm getting all mixed up in my head.
Expressing that objects or substances become mixed together, often in a messy way.
Intransitive verb meaning to be mixed or blended. Used when substances or elements combine.
油と水は混ざらない。
Oil and water don't mix.
色が混ざってしまった。
The colors got mixed up.
Transitive verb meaning to mix or blend. Use when someone actively mixes things.
To become tangled or entwined. Used for threads, strings, or abstract things like relationships.
巻き込まれる emphasizes being passively and often negatively drawn into a situation, while 関わる can be neutral or active involvement. Use 巻き込まれる when you are a victim of circumstances.
事故に巻き込まれた。
I got mixed up in an accident (unwillingly).
そのプロジェクトに関わっている。
I'm involved in that project (neutral).
Do not directly translate 'get mixed up in' as 混ざる or 混ぜる when referring to involvement in situations. Those verbs are for physical mixing. Use 巻き込まれる or 関わる instead.
彼らの喧嘩に巻き込まれたくない。
I don't want to get mixed up in their argument.
彼女はスキャンダルに巻き込まれた。
She got mixed up in a scandal.
私はいつもその二つの単語を混同してしまう。
I always get those two words mixed up.
道を間違えてしまった。
I got mixed up and took the wrong road.
Please mix the flour and eggs.
糸が絡まってしまった。
The thread got all mixed up.