Word
違う
Meaning in Englishto be different; to differ; wrong
Animated kanji stroke order
Sentence
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Word context
What it means
違う means to be different from something else, or to be incorrect in a given context; it covers both that a thing does not match another, and that an assertion or assumption is not true.
Main meanings
- to be different from something else
- to be incorrect or mistaken
- to express disagreement or correction in conversation
- to negate a statement, often with a polite or emphatic tone in response
How to use it
Used in casual speech as the plain form chigau and in polite speech as chigaimasu; appears in present, past, and negative forms depending on context; commonly follows a subject or noun to indicate mismatch, or used to correct an assumption or claim without requiring a literal translation.
Variants and close terms
- 異なる (kotonaru) — to differ
- 相違する (sōi suru) — to differ, formal
- 同じ (onaji) — the same; antonym
- ちゃう (chau) — casual Kansai dialect variant
Composition
- 違: conveys the idea of difference or mismatch; appears in compounds like 違反 and 相違, forming the core sense of not matching
- う: a hiragana ending that marks the verb in its plain non-past form; attaches to the kanji to create 違う
Word class
Verb (godan, u-verb)
Word
Related words by kanji and components
Kanji