Copyright © 2026 Kotomora. All Rights Reserved.

Words Kanji Guides About

見当違い (けんとうちがい) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

見けん当とう違ちがい

け

ん

と

う

ち

が

い

Meanings

1

na-adjective, noun

off the mark; misdirected; irrelevant

Describes a guess, estimate, aim, or remark that is wrong or misses the point. Often used in the phrase 見当違いな.

彼かれの推すい測そくはまったく見けん当とう違ちがいだった。
His guess was completely off the mark.
見けん当とう違ちがいな質

しつ

問もん

を

し

て

しまっ

た

。

I ended up asking an irrelevant question.

Written forms

見けん当とう違ちがい
Standard kanji spelling; high-frequency news term.
見けん当とうちがい
Mixed kana-kanji variant; less common but still encountered.

Kanji

見see, hopes, chances
当hit, right, appropriate
違difference, differ

Similar words

的まと外はずれ
的外れ also means 'off the mark' but is more literal about missing a target; 見当違い emphasizes a mistaken estimate or direction of thought.
間ま違ちがい
間違い is a general word for 'mistake' or 'error'; 見当違い specifically refers to a misjudgment or misdirected guess.

Etymology

Compound of 見当 (estimate, aim) and 違い (difference, mistake). The exact historical derivation is straightforward; the word has been used since at least the early modern period.