Translation guide
How to express 'misfire' in Japanese, covering engine failure, gun failure, and figurative failures.
When an engine fails to ignite or runs poorly, especially in vehicles.
Literally 'the engine doesn't start'. The most common way to say an engine misfires or fails to start.
The car engine won't start.
Technical term for 'misfire' in engines. Used in mechanical contexts.
The engine is misfiring.
Literally 'misfire' or 'failure to ignite', but more commonly used for explosives or plans. Can be used for engines in a figurative sense.
The engine ended up misfiring.
When a gun fails to fire properly.
When a plan, joke, or attempt fails to achieve its intended effect.
General term for 'fail'. Covers most figurative misfires.
His plan misfired.
Slang for a joke that bombs or falls flat. Very common in casual speech.
Literally 'end in a swing and a miss'. Used for efforts that produce no result.
不発 (ふはつ) literally means 'misfire' and is used for guns, engines, or figurative failures that 'fail to ignite'. 失敗 (しっぱい) is a general 'failure' and is more common for plans and attempts. Use 不発 when you want to emphasize the lack of ignition or the 'dud' aspect.
The plan ended in a misfire.
The plan failed.
不発弾が見つかった。
A dud was found.
Literally 'end in a misfire'. Used for jokes, plans, or attempts that fall flat.
His joke misfired.
ギャグが滑った。
The gag misfired.
His efforts misfired.