Translation guide
The concept of mistakes made by people, as opposed to mechanical or system failures. In Japanese, this is commonly expressed with set phrases like ヒューマンエラー or 人為的ミス, but natural explanations are often preferred in conversation.
Referring to a mistake caused by a person, often in work, safety, or technical contexts.
Direct loanword from English, widely understood in business, manufacturing, and safety contexts. Neutral and common.
The cause of the accident was human error.
Literally 'human-caused mistake'. Slightly more formal than ヒューマンエラー, often used in reports or analysis.
This trouble is due to human error.
Plain way to say 'a person's mistake'. Casual and straightforward.
That's not a machine malfunction, it's human error.
Formal term for human error, used in legal, medical, or academic contexts. Rare in everyday speech.
It is necessary to prevent human error in medical care.
Emphasizing that making mistakes is natural for people, often to excuse or soften the error.
Common phrase meaning 'because we're human, mistakes happen'. Used to show understanding or forgiveness.
Anyone can make a mistake. We're only human.
Literally 'everyone makes mistakes'. A more general statement about human fallibility.
Contrasting mistakes made by people with those caused by machines or systems.
Useful pattern for clarifying that the cause was human, not mechanical.
This time the trouble was not a machine failure, but human error.
In casual Japanese, instead of using the technical term ヒューマンエラー, it's often more natural to simply say 人のミス (person's mistake) or うっかりミス (careless mistake).
Sorry, that was my careless mistake.
Everyone makes mistakes, so don't worry about it.