1.
passing by each other
The act of two people or things passing each other going in opposite directions.
駅ですれ違いになった。
We passed each other at the station.
狭い道で車とすれ違った。
A car passed me on the narrow road.
電話のすれ違いで連絡が取れなかった。
We kept missing each other's calls and couldn't get in touch.
2.
missing each other, miscommunication
A situation where people fail to meet or connect, or where there is a misunderstanding or gap in communication.
二人の間にすれ違いが生まれた。
A gap developed between the two of them.
気持ちのすれ違いが原因で別れた。
They broke up because of emotional disconnection.
長年の夫婦でも、すれ違いの生活が続くと心が離れてしまう。
Even long-married couples can drift apart if they keep living separate lives.
The noun form of the verb すれ違う (to pass by each other). Has both a physical and figurative meaning.
SENSE 1 — PHYSICAL:
Two people or things passing each other going in opposite directions.
- 駅ですれ違いになった: we just missed each other at the station
- 電話のすれ違い: missing each other's phone calls
SENSE 2 — FIGURATIVE:
Emotional disconnect or miscommunication between people. Very common in relationship contexts.
- 気持ちのすれ違い: emotional disconnect
- すれ違いの生活: ships-in-the-night lifestyle (couple rarely seeing each other)
RELATED:
- すれ違う: to pass by each other (verb form)
- 行き違い: mix-up, misunderstanding (logistics/communication)