Japanese word

惑わす

Pronunciation

Romajimadowasu

Meaning

  • verbmislead

Example

その広告は人を惑わします。so no kō koku wa hito o mado wa shi ma su

That advertisement misleads people.

Illustration for 惑わす (mislead)

More examples

私はうわさに惑わされました。watashi wa u wa sa ni mado wa sa re ma shi ta

I was misled by the rumor.

Core concept

It means making someone unable to judge a situation correctly by obscuring the truth or presenting it in a misleading way.

Common phrases

  • 人を惑わすhito o mado wa su

    mislead people

  • 人の心を惑わすhito no kokoro o mado wa su

    confuse people's minds

Similar words

迷わすmayowasu: To leave someone uncertain about the right choice or understanding.
欺くazamuku: To deceive someone and cause a false belief or judgment.
騙すdamasu: To trick someone into accepting a false idea or situation.

Definition in Japanese

人を誤った理解や判断へ導く。hito o ayama tta ri kai ya han dan e michibi ku

Word origin

The native verb 惑わす (madowasu) comes from 惑う (madō, "to be confused") with the causative element す (su, "to make").

Usage tips

  • 惑わす (madowasu) focuses on the effect of leading someone away from a correct judgment, so it can apply to both intentional deception and unintentional confusion.

Other meanings

  • confuseverb
  • deceiveverb

Opposites

Related words

  • 惑わしmadowashimisdirectionnoun

Word lists with this word