Translation guide
To form a wrong opinion or estimate about a person, situation, distance, time, etc. Japanese uses different expressions depending on what is being misjudged.
To form an incorrect opinion about someone's personality, intentions, or abilities.
Literally 'see wrongly'. Used when you misjudge someone's true nature or intentions. Often used in the past tense.
I misjudged him.
A set phrase meaning 'to be a poor judge of character'. Used to admit one's own inability to judge people.
I'm a poor judge of character.
More formal, 'to misjudge an evaluation'. Used in business or serious contexts.
I misjudged his abilities.
To incorrectly assess a situation, the right moment, or the atmosphere.
Also used for misjudging situations, not just people.
I misjudged the situation.
Specifically for misjudging timing. Very common.
I misjudged the timing of my remark.
Colloquial phrase meaning 'can't read the room'. Implies misjudging the social atmosphere.
He misjudges the atmosphere.
To make an error in estimating physical measurements.
General term for visual misjudgment of distance, speed, etc.
I misjudged the distance and crashed.
To miscalculate. Used for numerical misjudgments.
I misjudged the amount needed.
To misjudge an estimate. Common in business or planning.
I misjudged the cost estimate.
The English 'misjudge' is often translated as 誤審する (ごしんする) in dictionaries, but this specifically means 'to make a wrong official judgment' (e.g., by a referee). Do not use it for personal misjudgments.