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.
To incorrectly assess a situation, the right moment, or the atmosphere.
To make an error in estimating physical measurements.
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.
Literally 'see wrongly'. Used when you misjudge someone's true nature or intentions. Often used in the past tense.
彼のことを見誤っていた。
I misjudged him.
A set phrase meaning 'to be a poor judge of character'. Used to admit one's own inability to judge people.
私には人を見る目がない。
I'm a poor judge of character.
More formal, 'to misjudge an evaluation'. Used in business or serious contexts.
彼の能力の評価を誤った。
I misjudged his abilities.
Also used for misjudging situations, not just people.
状況を見誤った。
I misjudged the situation.
Specifically for misjudging timing. Very common.
発言のタイミングを誤った。
I misjudged the timing of my remark.
Colloquial phrase meaning 'can't read the room'. Implies misjudging the social atmosphere.
彼は空気を読めない。
He misjudges the atmosphere.
General term for visual misjudgment of distance, speed, etc.
距離を見誤ってぶつかった。
I misjudged the distance and crashed.
To miscalculate. Used for numerical misjudgments.
必要量を誤算した。
I misjudged the amount needed.
To misjudge an estimate. Common in business or planning.
コストの見積もりを誤った。
I misjudged the cost estimate.