Meaning and Usage
The verb 違える (ちがえる) means "to make something different," "to get something wrong," or "to mistake." It is often used when someone changes or distorts facts, calls someone by the wrong name, or makes an error in an answer or action.
Common Contexts
- Distorting or altering facts or information.
- Mistaking or miscalling names.
- Making errors in answers or actions.
Collocations and Patterns
- 事実と違える (じじつとちがえる): to distort the facts
- 名前を違える (なまえをちがえる): to call someone by the wrong name
- 答えを違える (こたえをちがえる): to get the answer wrong
Register and Nuance
違える is a formal verb often used in written and spoken Japanese at a neutral or polite level. It implies an error or difference that is usually unintentional. It is different from 違う (ちがう), which means "to be different" but is intransitive; 違える is transitive and requires an object.
Common Mistake
Learners sometimes confuse 違える with 違う. Remember, 違える means "to make something different or wrong," so it needs a direct object, while 違う means "to be different" and does not take a direct object.