1.
mishearing, hearing things that aren't there
Hearing something incorrectly, or perceiving a sound that was not actually made. Can refer to both genuine auditory mistakes and the popular internet phenomenon of hearing foreign-language lyrics as funny Japanese phrases.
空耳かもしれない。
Maybe I was just hearing things.
誰かに呼ばれた気がしたが、空耳だった。
I thought someone called me, but I was just hearing things.
外国語の歌が日本語に聞こえる空耳がネットで話題になった。
Mishearings where foreign songs sound like Japanese became a hot topic online.
USAGE:
空耳 literally combines 空 (empty/sky) and 耳 (ear), suggesting ears that hear what isn't there. In everyday conversation, it often appears in the expression 空耳かな or 空耳だった when someone realizes they misheard something.
CULTURE:
The word gained pop-culture prominence through the long-running TV Asahi segment "空耳アワー" on the show "タモリ倶楽部," where viewers submitted clips of foreign songs that sounded like Japanese phrases.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 空耳かな: I wonder if I'm hearing things
- 空耳だった: it was just my imagination
- 空耳アワー: Soramimi Hour (TV segment)