Chinese word

口误

Pronunciation

Pinyinkǒu wù

Meaning

  • nounslip of the tongue

Example

抱歉，那是口误。bào qiàn nà shì kǒu wù

Sorry, that was a slip of the tongue.

Illustration for 口误 (slip of the tongue)

More examples

这句话是口误，不要放在心上。zhè jù huà shì kǒu wù bú yào fàng zài xīn shàng

That sentence was a slip of the tongue, so don't take it to heart.

Core concept

A moment when speech outruns thought and produces the wrong word.

Common phrases

  • 指出口误zhǐ chū kǒu wù

    point out a slip of the tongue

  • 避免口误bì miǎn kǒu wù

    avoid a slip of the tongue

  • 因为口误yīn wèi kǒu wù

    because of a slip of the tongue

Similar words

失言shī yán: A careless remark that causes another person discomfort or offense.
笔误bǐ wù: An accidental written mistake in which a character or word is written incorrectly.

Definition in Chinese

因一时疏忽或反应不及而把词或短语说错的口头错误，通常指瞬间的无意识失误。yīn yì shí shū hū huò fǎn yìng bù jí ér bǎ cí huò duán yǔ shuō cuò de kǒu tóu cuò wù tōng cháng zhǐ shùn jiān de wú yì shí shī wù

Word origin

The compound joins 口 (kǒu, "mouth") with 误 (wù, "error"), linking the mouth directly to an accidental verbal error.

Usage tips

  • Unlike an intentional false claim, this word normally presents the speaker's error as accidental and momentary.

Other meanings

  • misstatementnoun

Word lists with this word