Translation guide
How to express noticing and pointing out a mistake, or praising someone for spotting an error, in Japanese.
You want to compliment someone for spotting an error or oversight.
A natural, friendly way to say 'good catch' when someone notices a mistake. Literally 'you noticed well'.
あ、そのミス、よく気づいたね。
Oh, good catch on that mistake.
Similar to よく気づいたね, but emphasizes 'finding' something, like a hidden error or detail.
このバグ、よく見つけたね。
Good catch on this bug.
A direct loanword from English 'nice catch'. Used in casual contexts, especially in sports or among friends, but less common than native phrases.
その間違い、ナイスキャッチ！
Nice catch on that mistake!
You want to politely or neutrally indicate that you've spotted a mistake.
A polite and indirect way to point out an error. Literally 'it seems there is a mistake here'.
すみません、ここ、間違っているようです。
Excuse me, I think there's a mistake here.
A more direct way to say 'there's a mistake here'. Suitable for workplace or team settings.
このデータ、ミスがあります。
There's a mistake in this data.
Literally 'I found a mistake'. Can be used when you want to announce your discovery, but may sound a bit self-congratulatory.
あ、間違いを見つけました。ここです。
Oh, I found a mistake. It's here.
You want to praise a physical catch in a game like baseball or American football.
The standard loanword for 'nice catch' in sports contexts. Widely understood.
ナイスキャッチ！すごい！
Nice catch! Amazing!
A slightly more Japanese-flavored version, meaning 'good catch'.
今の、いいキャッチだったね。
That was a good catch.
A native Japanese expression meaning 'well caught'. Used in baseball and other catching sports.
難しい球をよく捕った！
Good catch on that difficult ball!
The phrase 'good catch' does not have a single direct equivalent in Japanese. Translating it word-for-word as 良い捕獲 (よいほかく) would sound unnatural and confusing. Use context-appropriate phrases instead.
Both mean 'good job noticing', but 気づく implies noticing something non-physical (like a mistake or change), while 見つける implies finding something physical or concrete (like a bug in code or a hidden object). In many error-spotting situations, they are interchangeable.