見(み)間違(まちが)い

みまちがい
noun
mistaken sight; seeing something wrong
1. mistaken sight; visual misidentification
seeing something incorrectly or mistaking one thing for another
見(み)間違(まちが)いかと思(おも)った。
I thought I was seeing things.
それは見(み)間違(まちが)いじゃないですか。
Isn't that just your eyes playing tricks?
暗(くら)くて人(ひと)を見(み)間違(まちが)いして違(ちが)う人(ひと)に声(こえ)をかけた。
It was dark, and I mistook someone for another person and called out to the wrong person.

COMPOUND STRUCTURE:
見(み)間違(まちが)い combines 見(み)る (to see) + 間違(まちが)い (mistake). Note that unlike other ～間違(まちが)い compounds, this one doesn't have the connecting い.

COMMON CONTEXTS:

  • 人違(ひとちが)い - mistaking someone for another person
  • 暗(くら)い場所(ばしょ) - dark places
  • 遠(とお)く - from a distance
  • 似(に)ている物(もの) - similar-looking things

RELATED EXPRESSIONS:

  • 見(み)間違(まちが)える (verb) - to mistake (visually)
  • 目(め)の錯覚(さっかく) - optical illusion
  • 人違(ひとちが)い - mistaking someone's identity

RELATED ～間違(まちが)い WORDS:

  • 聞(き)き間違(まちが)い - mishearing
  • 言(い)い間違(まちが)い - slip of the tongue
  • 読(よ)み間違(まちが)い - misreading
general
Added 2026.1.27 20:47
08500/08582_mimachigai