noun
mishearing; auditory illusion
Hearing something incorrectly, often with a humorous or surprising result. Common in everyday conversation.
さっきの会話、空耳だったかもしれない。
That conversation just now might have been a mishearing.
空耳で変な言葉に聞こえた。
I misheard it as a strange word.
noun
feigned deafness; pretending not to hear
Deliberately ignoring what someone says, as if one didn't hear it. Often used in the phrase 空耳を使う.
彼は都合が悪くなると空耳を使う。
He feigns deafness when things get awkward.
noun
homophonic translation; mondegreen
Intentionally mishearing song lyrics or foreign phrases as similar-sounding Japanese words for comic effect. Popularized by the TV show 空耳アワー.
この洋楽のサビ、空耳で「味噌汁飲みたい」に聞こえる。
The chorus of this Western song sounds like 'I want to drink miso soup' as a homophonic translation.
Compound of 空 (そら, 'empty, sky') and 耳 (みみ, 'ear'). The exact origin is uncertain, but it likely refers to hearing something that isn't really there, like a sound from the empty sky.