掛け違える
かけちがえる
verb (ichidan)
to button up wrong; to misunderstand from the start
Conjugation
| Affirmative | Negative | |
|---|---|---|
| Present | 掛け違える | 掛け違えない |
| Present polite | 掛け違えます | 掛け違えません |
| Past | 掛け違えた | 掛け違えなかった |
| Past polite | 掛け違えました | 掛け違えませんでした |
| て form | 掛け違えて | 掛け違えなくて |
| ている present | 掛け違えている | 掛け違えていない |
| ている polite | 掛け違えています | 掛け違えていません |
| ている past | 掛け違えていた | 掛け違えていなかった |
| ている past polite | 掛け違えていました | 掛け違えていませんでした |
| Conditional ば | 掛け違えれば | 掛け違えなければ |
| Conditional たら | 掛け違えたら | 掛け違えなかったら |
| Volitional | 掛け違えよう | — |
| Volitional polite | 掛け違えましょう | — |
| Potential | 掛け違えられる | 掛け違えられない |
| Passive | 掛け違えられる | 掛け違えられない |
| Causative | 掛け違えさせる | 掛け違えさせない |
| Imperative | 掛け違えろ | 掛け違えるな |
1.
to button up wrong; to fasten buttons in the wrong holes
To put buttons through the wrong buttonholes, causing the garment to be misaligned.
2.
to have a fundamental misunderstanding; to go wrong from the start
Used figuratively to describe a situation where communication or a relationship has gone off track due to an initial misunderstanding, like buttons fastened in the wrong holes.
If you get the first button wrong, everything else is off — just like a misunderstanding from the start.
The literal meaning (sense 1) is straightforward. The figurative meaning (sense 2) is very common and uses the metaphor of misaligned buttons to describe how an initial small mistake or misunderstanding cascades into larger problems.
Common patterns
- ボタンを掛け違える: to button wrongly (literal and figurative)
- ボタンの掛け違い: a mis-buttoning; a fundamental misunderstanding (noun form)
Similar words
- 食い違う: to disagree, to be at odds — focuses on a discrepancy between two things
- 誤解: misunderstanding — more general, without the metaphorical nuance
Cultural note
The metaphor ボタンの掛け違い is widely understood in Japanese and often appears in discussions about relationships, diplomacy, and communication breakdowns.