mistaking something for something else visually; misjudgment from seeing wrong
Refers to an error in visual perception: thinking you saw one thing when it was actually another. Often used when you misidentify a person, object, or situation based on sight.
It was dark and I mistook them for someone else, so I ended up calling out to a stranger.
That wasn't a mistake in what I saw. I really did see a ghost.
思い違い is a mistaken thought or assumption, while 見間違い is a mistake in visual perception.
Compound of 見 (mi, 'seeing') + 間違い (machigai, 'mistake').