Meaning and Usage
"迷惑" (めいわく) is a noun that means "trouble," "bother," or "annoyance." It is often used to describe situations where someone causes inconvenience or disturbance to others.
Common Contexts
You will frequently hear "迷惑" in everyday conversation when apologizing for causing trouble or when talking about nuisances like spam emails or noisy neighbors.
Collocations and Patterns
- 迷惑をかける: to cause trouble or inconvenience to someone.
- 迷惑になる: to become a nuisance.
- 迷惑メール: spam or junk email.
Register and Politeness
"迷惑" is neutral and can be used in both casual and polite contexts. When apologizing formally, it often appears with expressions like "ご迷惑をおかけして申し訳ありません。"
Common Mistakes
Learners sometimes confuse "迷惑" with "困る" (to be troubled) but "迷惑" focuses more on the effect on others rather than the speaker's own difficulty.