違 - No, No, WRONG Path, Take a DIFFERENT One

Readings & Meanings:

イ

ちが（−う、−える）

differ, wrong, different

Common Usage:

間違える

違い

相違

Examples:

僕はいつも人から兄と間違えられる。

偽物と本物の違いがわからない。

本質的な相違がない。

違う！

Translations:

People are always mistaking me for my brother.

I can't tell the difference between the real thing and a fake.

Essentially, there's no difference.

Wrong!

Bonus:

Let me tell you, 違う is one of my favorite words. I love the way it sounds. The diphthong of the あ and the う is pleasing to me. Maybe I'm a masochist, because I came to love the word after hearing it SO MANY TIMES.

This is because when you make a mistake the Japanese, instead of telling you "no" or "wrong," will say "it's different," or 違う. If they're being kind, or if you almost got it right, they will say "ちょっと違いますね".

Also, please note the Shi-nyo radical（支） on the left and underneath. I'll go into detail about that some other time. For now, let's associate it with "branch of a road" because it looks like a winding road.

Important:

Uh-oh. I just told you the story of 韋駄天 for 偉, and now look what crops up? Another kanji with 韋 in it that is totally different in meaning!

Try to think of 違 in terms of its context. People use the word 違う when they want to point you to the Right Path or road.

References:

http://www.thejapanesepage.com/kanji/kanji/i.htm