迷惑 – The Meaning of Meiwaku in Japanese
One very common and at the same time very Japanese word is 迷惑. This word does not have an exact translation into English but can mean something that is annoying or inconvenient. To understand the meaning of 迷惑 let’s take a closer look.
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What does 迷惑 mean?
The meaning of 迷惑 is something that causes someone else an inconvenience. The level of the inconvenience can range from just something that is annoying to causing someone a lot of trouble to even negative consequences.
迷惑 can be a Noun or an Adjective
迷惑 can be a noun or a な-adjective depending on how you use it.
that is inconvenient / an annoyance (literary, that is an inconvenient story)
The person next door is always making noise and is inconveniencing the neighborhood
迷惑 as a Verb
Most of the time though 迷惑 comes in the form, 迷惑をかける which means to trouble someone, annoy someone, and so on. Basically, it is how you use 迷惑 as a verb.
John inconvenienced Tom
Finally, 迷惑を掛ける is a phrase that is often used in formal situations like an apology. In those situations, it will be in polite form.
I deeply apologize for troubling you
So, if you ever are in a formal situation and need to apologize for something this is a good phrase to remember.
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