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N5Lesson notes · Sep 30, 2026

Different in Japanese: 違ちがう is a verb, and 同おなじ breaks the な rule

"Different" in Japanese is 違ちがう (chigau), and it is a verb — you say 違ちがいます, not 違ちがいです. "Same" is 同おなじ (onaji), a な-adjective that quietly refuses to take な in front of a noun: 同おなじ本ほん, never 同おなじな本ほん.

Those two facts explain most of the mistakes learners make here. English has one word for "different" and it behaves like any other adjective. Japanese splits the idea across four or five words, and the most common one does not even look like an adjective. Let's sort them out.

The basics

How do you say "different" in Japanese?

Use the verb 違ちがう (ちがう, chigau). It means "to differ" or "to be different," and it conjugates like any other verb: 違ちがいます, 違ちがいません, 違ちがいました.

これは、あれと違ちがいます。 — This is different from that. (polite) 日本にほんの電車でんしゃは、私わたしの国くにの電車でんしゃと違ちがう。 — Trains in Japan are different from trains in my country. (plain form, neutral)

The thing you compare against takes と, the same と as in "together with." So AはBと違ちがう is "A differs from B." If you already know how to compare with より, this is the sibling pattern: より ranks two things, と違ちがう just says they are not the same.

What if you want the noun "difference" or the adjective form?

The noun is 違ちがい (ちがい): この二ふたつの違ちがいは何なんですか。 — What is the difference between these two? (polite)

Before a noun, you use the plain form of the verb as a modifier: 違ちがう意見いけん (a different opinion), 違ちがう店みせ (a different shop). There is no な and no い to add, because it is a verb doing the job of an adjective.

Why does everyone say 違ちがう as "no"?

Because it also means "that's not right." Someone asks "Are you a student?" and if you are not, 違ちがいます is a natural, slightly blunt "No, I'm not." It denies the statement, not the question.

A:田中たなかさんですか。 B:いいえ、違ちがいます。 — "Are you Tanaka?" "No, that's not me." (polite, a flat correction) 違ちがう、違ちがう! — No, no, no! / That's not it! (casual, hands waving)

Doubling it as 違ちがう違ちがう is the everyday reflex of "no, you've got it wrong." It is stronger than いいえ, which is why it works better as a correction than as a polite refusal. For refusing invitations and requests, see how to say no in Japanese — 違ちがう is the wrong tool there.

How do you say "the same"?

Use 同おなじ (おなじ, onaji). Casual speech often swaps in 一緒いっしょ (いっしょ), which literally means "together" but also works for "identical."

私わたしも同おなじです。 — Same here. / I'm the same. (polite) これとあれは同おなじ? — Are this and that the same? (casual, spoken) 私わたしと一緒いっしょだね。 — You're the same as me, huh. (casual, warm)

The thing you compare against takes と again: AはBと同おなじ. One quick rule of thumb: 同おなじ sounds neutral and a bit more written, 一緒いっしょ sounds friendlier and more spoken.

Beyond the basics

What is the 同おなじ exception?

This is the one to remember. 同おなじ acts like a な-adjective in most places (同おなじです, 同おなじだ), but in front of a noun it takes no な at all.

同おなじ本ほんを二冊にさつ買かった。 — I bought two copies of the same book. (plain form) 同おなじ学校がっこうに通かよっている。 — We go to the same school. (plain form)

Not 同おなじな本ほん, not 同おなじの本ほん. Just 同おなじ + noun. If you have already met the な-adjective pattern in い-adjectives vs な-adjectives, this is the famous exception: it is the only common one that skips な in front of a noun.

There is a small catch. Before ので and のに, the な comes back: 同おなじなので ("because it is the same") and 同おなじなのに ("even though it is the same"). So the rule is really "no な directly before a noun," not "never any な."

一緒いっしょ behaves differently. Before a noun it takes の, not な: 一緒いっしょの部屋へや (the same room, a shared room).

What is the difference between 違ちがう and 別べつ?

別べつ (べつ) is "another," "separate," or "other than this one." It answers "which one?" while 違ちがう answers "is it the same?"

別べつの店みせに行いこう。 — Let's go to a different shop. (casual, meaning another one, not this one) 別々べつべつに払はらいます。 — We'll pay separately. (polite, at a restaurant register)

Compare 違ちがう店みせ and 別べつの店みせ. 違ちがう店みせ means a shop that is unlike the one we were talking about. 別べつの店みせ means some other shop, and it does not say anything about how it compares. In everyday use they overlap a lot, and you will not be misunderstood. But 別べつ is the one to reach for when you mean "another one" rather than "one of a different kind." In a shop, もう一ひとつ after a wrong size just brings you the same size again, and another in Japanese explains why 他ほかのサイズ or 別べつのをください is the request you want.

What does 別べつに mean?

別べつに (べつに) with a negative means "not particularly," and it is one of the most common lines in spoken Japanese, and in anime.

A:怒おこってる? B:別べつに。 — "Are you angry?" "Not really." (casual, often a little cold) 別べつに困こまらない。 — It doesn't bother me particularly. (plain form)

Said flatly, 別べつに can sound dismissive or sulky, which is why characters use it when they are hiding something. It is not a rude word on its own, but tone is doing all the work.

Which 違ちがう word depends on the topic?

Use と違ちがう for "different from" and によって違ちがう for "differs depending on." The second one is the pattern for "it depends":

国くにによって値段ねだんが違ちがう。 — The price differs depending on the country. (plain form)

This によって is the same grammar that turns up in 〜によって "depends on", so learn it once and it does double duty.

Are there more formal or "various" words?

Yes, and they are worth recognizing even if you rarely say them.

  • 異ことなる (ことなる) — "to differ," the written-language cousin of 違ちがう. It shows up in news, reports and manuals: 意見いけんが異ことなる (opinions differ).
  • いろいろ — "various," spoken and friendly: いろいろな国くに (various countries).
  • 様々さまざま (さまざま) — "various," written and a bit more polished: 様々さまざまな問題もんだい (a variety of problems).

Both いろいろ and 様々さまざま attach with な before a noun. Notice that this is the ordinary な-adjective pattern, the exact thing 同おなじ does not do.

How does 違ちがう sound in anime?

Constantly, and in more shapes than the textbook shows. A character denying an accusation says 違ちがうんだ! (it's not like that!), or 違ちがうって言いってるだろ! (I'm telling you, that's not it!). Someone realising they were wrong mutters あ、違ちがった。 (oh, that was wrong / I got it wrong). If you only know 違ちがいます, you will still catch the meaning, because the core word never changes.

Common mistakes

  • Treating 違ちがう as an adjective. 違ちがいです is not "it's different." Use the verb: 違ちがいます. If you are describing something in a noun position, use 違ちがう plus the noun, like 違ちがう本ほん.
  • Adding な to 同おなじ. 同おなじな本ほん is wrong. 同おなじ本ほん is right. The exception disappears only when ので or のに follows.
  • Using 違ちがう when you mean "another." If you are asking for a different one of the same kind, 別べつの is safer: 別べつのをください (Please give me a different one).
  • Confusing 違ちがう with 間違まちがう. 間違まちがう (まちがう) is "to make a mistake," and its noun 間違まちがい is "a mistake." 答こたえが違ちがう says the answer is not the one expected, while 答こたえを間違まちがえた says I got the answer wrong (as a mistake I made). Keep 間違まちがう for errors and actions, 違ちがう for "not this."
  • Answering with 違ちがいます to everything. It works as a firm "that's not right," but as a general polite "no" it can feel abrupt. Save it for corrections.

The words at a glance

Word Reading Part of speech Example
違ちがう ちがう Verb これは違ちがいます。
違ちがい ちがい Noun 違ちがいは何なんですか。
別べつ べつ Noun / な-adjective 別べつの店みせに行いこう。
別べつに べつに Adverb 別べつに困こまらない。
異ことなる ことなる Verb (written) 意見いけんが異ことなる。
いろいろ いろいろ な-adjective いろいろな国くに
様々さまざま さまざま な-adjective (written) 様々さまざまな問題もんだい
同おなじ おなじ な-adjective, no な before nouns 同おなじ本ほん
一緒いっしょ いっしょ Noun (一緒いっしょの + noun) 私わたしと一緒いっしょだね。
間違まちがう まちがう Verb 答こたえを間違まちがえた。

FAQ

Is 違ちがう a verb or an adjective? A verb. It conjugates as 違ちがいます, 違ちがいません, 違ちがいました, and you use its plain form directly before a noun, as in 違ちがう本ほん.

Why is it 同おなじ本ほん and not 同おなじな本ほん? It is an established exception. 同おなじ acts like a な-adjective in 同おなじです and 同おなじだ, but it drops な in front of a noun. The な does return before ので and のに, as in 同おなじなので.

Can I say 違ちがう to mean "no"? Yes, as "that's wrong" or "that's not it." 違ちがいます is a direct denial of a statement, not a soft refusal. For invitations and requests, a softer answer is better.

What is the difference between 違ちがう and 別べつ? 違ちがう says something is unlike another thing. 別べつ says it is a different one, another, or separate. 別べつの店みせ is "another shop" without saying how it compares.

What does 別べつに mean? With a negative it means "not particularly." 別べつに。 on its own is the classic reply to "Is something wrong?" and is usually flat or dismissive.

Are 同おなじ and 一緒いっしょ interchangeable? Mostly, in speech. 同おなじ is neutral and a bit more written. 一緒いっしょ is friendlier. Before a noun, 同おなじ takes nothing (同おなじ部屋へや), while 一緒いっしょ takes の (一緒いっしょの部屋へや).

Practice

Build each answer before opening it. Questions 3 and 4 are a pair, and so are 5 and 6.

1. Say "This is different from that" using the polite form.

Show answer

これはあれと違ちがいます — 違ちがう is a verb, and the thing you compare against takes と.

2. Why is 違ちがいです wrong for "it's different"?

Show answer

違ちがい is a noun ("difference"), not the word for "different." The word for "different" is the verb 違ちがう, so you say 違ちがいます.

3. Say "the same book" in Japanese.

Show answer

同おなじ本ほん — 同おなじ takes no な in front of a noun. This is the pair to question 4.

4. Say "Because it is the same" using 同おなじ and ので.

Show answer

同おなじなので — before ので the な comes back. The rule is "no な directly before a noun," not "never any な."

5. Say "a different shop" in the sense of "another one, not this one."

Show answer

別べつの店みせ — 別べつ means "another" or "separate," so it fits when you mean a different one rather than one of a different kind. This is the pair to question 6.

6. Say "a shop unlike the one we were talking about."

Show answer

違ちがう店みせ — 違ちがう compares the two shops and says they are unlike, whereas 別べつの店みせ only says it is another shop.

7. Say "The price differs depending on the country."

Show answer

国くにによって値段ねだんが違ちがう — によって marks what the difference depends on, and 違ちがう ends the sentence as a verb.

8. A friend asks 怒おこってる? and you are mildly annoyed but do not want to say so. What do you say?

Show answer

別べつに — "not really," with the negative meaning carried by tone. It is the classic reply, and it can sound cold.

9. Which is right for "I got the answer wrong": 答こたえを違ちがった or 答こたえを間違まちがえた?

Show answer

答こたえを間違まちがえた — 間違まちがう and 間違まちがえる are for making mistakes. 違ちがう does not take an object like this; 答こたえが違ちがう would describe the answer itself as not being the right one.

10. How do you say "various countries" in a spoken, friendly way?

Show answer

いろいろな国くに — いろいろ takes an ordinary な before a noun, which is what makes 同おなじ so unusual by contrast.

Say what is 違ちがう and what is 同おなじ about two anime, or two cities, in a trial lesson and watch the な rule that 同おなじ breaks.

Vocabulary from this article

Tap the block to select all of it, then copy. In Anki: File → Import, note type Basic, separator Tab — the first column becomes the front, the second the back.

違う	ちがう — to differ, to be different, to be wrong
違い	ちがい — difference
別	べつ — another, separate
別に	べつに — not particularly
別々に	べつべつに — separately
異なる	ことなる — to differ (written)
いろいろ	いろいろ — various
様々	さまざま — various (written)
同じ	おなじ — the same
一緒	いっしょ — together, the same
間違う	まちがう — to make a mistake
値段	ねだん — price
意見	いけん — opinion
答え	こたえ — answer

I'm Yuuki, a Japanese teacher based in Tokyo. I've taught on italki as a Top 1% teacher and watched over 1,500 anime, so most of the example sentences on this blog come from lines I've actually heard students ask about — including this one, where 違ちがう and 同おなじ trip people up in the first few weeks. For practice with feedback, Book a trial lesson · $13, or work through Japanese practice exercises first.

Sources: the author's own lessons and standard reference grammars.

More drills like the ones above, plus a timed JLPT-style mock test: Practice · N5 · Read something at this level: JLPT N5 stories with audio

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