紛まぎらわしい

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Common wordJLPTN2Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

紛らわしい · i-adjective

Form	Positive	Negative
Dictionary	紛まぎらわしい	紛まぎらわしくない
Polite	紛まぎらわしいです	紛まぎらわしくないですalso 紛まぎらわしくありません
Past polite	紛まぎらわしかったです	紛まぎらわしくなかったですalso 紛まぎらわしくありませんでした
Past	紛まぎらわしかった	紛まぎらわしくなかった
Te-form	紛まぎらわしくて	紛まぎらわしくなくて
Adverbial	紛まぎらわしく
Conditional	紛まぎらわしければ	紛まぎらわしくなければ
Tara conditional	紛まぎらわしかったら	紛まぎらわしくなかったら

Meanings

i-adjective

confusing; misleading; easily mistaken

Describes something that is hard to distinguish, easily confused with something else, or ambiguous. Often used for similar-looking words, situations, or statements.

この二ふたつの漢かん字じは形かたちが紛まぎらわしい。
These two kanji are confusingly similar in shape.
彼かれの説せつ明めいは紛まぎらわしくて、何なにが本ほん当とうかわからなかった。
His explanation was misleading, and I couldn't tell what was true.

See all 10 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈物もの〉と〈物もの〉が紛まぎらわしいtwo things are easily confused with each other
このラベルとあのラベルは色いろが似にていて紛まぎらわしい。
This label and that one look similar in color and are easily confused.
紛まぎらわしい〈物もの〉a confusing or misleading thing (name, expression, etc.)
紛まぎらわしい名な前まえのせいで、よく間ま違ちがえられる。
Because of the confusing name, it's often mistaken for something else.
〈事こと〉を紛まぎらわしくするto make something confusing or misleading
わざと紛まぎらわしくする表ひょう現げんは避さけたほうがいい。
You should avoid expressions that are deliberately made confusing.

Kanji

紛distract, be mistaken for, go astray

Related words

ややこしいN1
ややこしい describes something complicated or troublesome to sort out, while 紛らわしい focuses specifically on being easily mistaken for something else.
曖あい昧まいN3
曖昧 describes something vague or unclear in meaning, whereas 紛らわしい describes something that closely resembles or is easily confused with something else.

Opposites

明めい確かくN3
明確 describes something clear and unambiguous, the opposite of 紛らわしい, which describes something confusing or easily mistaken.

Don't confuse with

煩わずらわしいN2
煩わしい looks and sounds similar to 紛らわしい but means troublesome or annoying, not confusing or easily mistaken.
紛まぎれもない
紛らわしい describes something that is easily confused or ambiguous, nearly the opposite in meaning to 紛れもない despite sharing the same root 紛れる.
疑うたがわしいN2
紛らわしい means 'easily confused/ambiguous' (like similar-looking items), while 疑わしい means 'doubtful or suspicious' (like an untrustworthy claim), despite the similar い-adjective ending.

Written forms

紛まぎらわしいUsage67%
Standard kanji spelling; the reading is unambiguous.
まぎらわしいUsage33%

Etymology

Derived from the verb 紛れる (まぎれる, 'to become mixed up') with the adjectival suffix ～わしい, which often expresses a tendency or characteristic.