人違(ひとちが)い

人違(ひとちが)い means mistaking one person for another — thinking someone is a different person than who they actually are. It can refer to both mistaking a stranger for someone you know, or being mistaken for someone else.

Common expressions

• 人違(ひとちが)いをする: to mistake someone for another person
• 人違(ひとちが)いでした: I had the wrong person (common apology phrase)
• 人違(ひとちが)いではないですか: Don't you have the wrong person?

Usage

Often occurs when someone looks similar from behind (後(うし)ろ姿(すがた)) or at a distance. The phrase 人違(ひとちが)いでした is a standard polite way to apologize after approaching the wrong person.

SIMILAR ～違(ちが)い COMPOUNDS:

• 勘違(かんちが)い: misunderstanding, mistaken belief
• 聞(きき)違(ちが)い: mishearing
• 見間違(みまちが)い: visual mistake, misidentification