Meaning
迷 means being lost, going astray, or feeling bewildered — and by extension, a maze or labyrinth. Its range is wider than it first appears. Getting turned around in an unfamiliar city is one use, but 迷 also covers internal states: hesitating over a choice, wavering between two paths, or clinging to a belief that has drifted from reason.
迷 combines two components. The radical 辶 (しんにょう) signals movement along a road or path. Inside sits 米 (こめ, rice), which is mainly phonetic and contributes the reading メイ. Together they suggest a traveler trying to move forward (辶) but hemmed in on all sides by identical rice stalks (米) — no landmark, no clear way out.
迷 entered Japanese from classical Chinese with its core meaning intact. Over time the sense widened from physical wandering to moral confusion and irrational belief. That's why the same character appears in 迷信 (superstition), 混迷 (political chaos), and 迷走台風 (a typhoon that veers from its predicted track).
迷 has 9 strokes and is a grade-8 Joyo kanji — secondary-school level, not part of elementary curriculum, but expected knowledge for high school graduates and JLPT N2 candidates. It turns up constantly in news, conversation, and literature.
Readings
On'yomi (音読み) — Chinese-derived readings
The primary on'yomi is メイ (mei), used in Sino-Japanese compounds across both formal and everyday registers — from news headlines to daily small talk.
- 迷惑 (meiwaku) — nuisance, trouble caused to others. The phrase 「迷惑をかける」(meiwaku wo kakeru) means to cause inconvenience to someone, and it comes up constantly in apologies and social situations.
- 迷路 (meiro) — maze, labyrinth. Used both literally (a puzzle maze) and figuratively (a confusing, inescapable situation).
- 迷信 (meishin) — superstition. Literally "confused belief," it describes irrational beliefs unsupported by reason or evidence.
- 迷宮 (meikyuu) — labyrinth, unsolved mystery. Common in the phrase 迷宮入り (meikyuu-iri), a criminal case that goes cold and remains unsolved.
- 迷走 (meisou) — meandering, wandering off course. Used for typhoons that shift track unpredictably, or for projects and policies that lose direction.
Kun'yomi (訓読み) — Native Japanese readings
The kun'yomi is まよ(う) (mayou), a native verb meaning to be lost, to lose one's way, or to waver over a decision. It covers everything from missing a turn in an unfamiliar city to agonizing over a job offer for weeks.
- 迷う (mayou) — to be lost, to lose one's way, to waver between choices.
- 迷い (mayoi) — hesitation, doubt, inner conflict. The nominalized form, describing a sustained state of being unsure or conflicted.
- 迷い込む (mayoikomu) — to wander into a place accidentally while lost.
- 迷子 (maigo) — a lost child. Note the reading shifts from まよ to まい when combined with 子, producing the special reading maigo. Also used lightheartedly to describe adults who are hopelessly lost.
Common Words & Compounds
迷 appears in compounds spanning social situations, psychological states, and natural phenomena. Below are key terms organized by theme.
Social and Interpersonal
- 迷惑 (meiwaku) — nuisance, trouble caused to others. Central to understanding social consideration in Japan.
- 御迷惑 (go-meiwaku) — (polite form) causing inconvenience to someone. Used in formal apologies and polite speech.
- 迷惑メール (meiwaku meeru) — spam email, unsolicited junk mail.
Navigation and Physical Space
- 迷路 (meiro) — maze, labyrinth. Used literally and metaphorically.
- 迷子 (maigo) — lost child. Also used humorously for adults who are hopelessly lost.
- 迷い込む (mayoikomu) — to wander into somewhere accidentally while lost.
Mental and Emotional States
- 迷い (mayoi) — hesitation, doubt, inner conflict.
- 迷夢 (meimu) — delusion, illusion, confused dream.
- 迷妄 (meimou) — delusion, obsessive or confused thinking.
Beliefs and Mysteries
- 迷信 (meishin) — superstition, irrational belief.
- 迷宮 (meikyuu) — labyrinth, unsolved mystery, cold case.
Movement, Economics, and Society
- 迷走 (meisou) — meandering, going off course (storms, policies, careers).
- 低迷 (teimei) — stagnation, slump, hovering at a low level. Frequent in economic and sports reporting.
- 混迷 (konmei) — confusion, disorder, chaos. Often used for political or social turmoil.
Example Sentences
駅の周りで道に迷ってしまった。
Eki no mawari de michi ni mayotte shimatta.
I ended up getting lost around the train station.
子どもが迷子になって、泣いていた。
Kodomo ga maigo ni natte, naite ita.
The child got lost and was crying.
どちらの仕事を選ぶか、今も迷っている。
Dochira no shigoto wo erabu ka, ima mo mayotte iru.
I'm still wavering over which job to choose.
電車の中で大声で話すのは迷惑だ。
Densha no naka de oogoe de hanasu no wa meiwaku da.
Talking loudly inside a train is a nuisance to others.
この事件は迷宮入りになりそうだ。
Kono jiken wa meikyuu-iri ni nari-sou da.
This case looks like it's going to go cold and remain unsolved.
台風が迷走して、上陸地点の予測が難しい。
Taifuu ga meisou shite, joriku chiten no yosoku ga muzukashii.
The typhoon is wandering off course, making it difficult to predict where it will make landfall.
日本の経済は長期低迷が続いている。
Nihon no keizai wa chouki teimei ga tsuzuite iru.
Japan's economy has been in a prolonged slump.
迷信だとわかっていても、信じてしまう人は多い。
Meishin da to wakatte ite mo, shinjite shimau hito wa ooi.
Even knowing it is a superstition, many people end up believing it anyway.
迷いを捨てて、前に進む決意をした。
Mayoi wo sutete, mae ni susumu ketsui wo shita.
I made the decision to cast aside my hesitation and move forward.
Memory Tip
Picture a traveler standing in a vast rice field (米), paths running in every direction but each one looking identical. They try to move forward — 辶 — but every step leads deeper into the same maze of stalks. No landmark, no way out. That's 迷: movement without direction, choice without clarity.
Think of 米 as a compass rose with arrows pointing everywhere at once — a perfect image of paralysis. Whenever 迷 appears, recall that figure wandering the rice field, unable to choose a path, and the meaning will stay with you.