► 副詞
ぼうっと [ぼうっと] meaning: confuse rank: 2
☆ どうも頭がぼうっとする ⇨ My head feels foggy somehow
☆ 頭を打って一瞬ぼうっとした ⇨ I got hit in the head and got dazed for a moment
おろおろ [(1)おろおろ] meaning: confuse rank: 3
☆ 彼女はどうしていいか分からずおろおろした ⇨ She didn’t know what to do and just paced around (☛ Overwhelmed and behave helplessly in confusion)
きょとんと [(3)きょとんと] [coll] meaning: confuse rank: 3
☆ 彼は何の事か全く分からずきょとんとしていた ⇨ He looked like he was completely baffled (☛ Don’t understand what is happening)
ぽかんと [(2)ぽかんと] meaning: confuse rank: 3
☆ 皆ぽかんとその光景を見つめていた ⇨ Everybody was just looking at the scene in daze
まごまご [(1)まごまご] meaning: confuse rank: 3
☆ 私が彼の質問にまごまごしていたら、彼は私の回答を待たずに先に進んだ ⇨ He kept going without waiting for my answer when I wasn’t able to react to his question
おたおた [(1)おたおた] meaning: confuse rank: 4
☆ 彼はいざとなるとおたおたするだけで何の役にも立たない ⇨ He is useless because he gets confused under pressure (☛ Overwhelmed and behave ineptly in confusion. Often used with contempt by the speaker)
► 動詞
こんがらがる [(5)こんがらがる] [coll] meaning: confuse rank: 1
☆ 彼の話を聞いていたら頭がこんがらがった ⇨ My brain got tied in knots listening to his story
混乱 [こんらん] [混乱する] meaning: confuse rank: 2
☆ 彼の説明に私は余計混乱した ⇨ His explanation confused me even more
戸惑う [(3)とまどう] meaning: confuse rank: 2
☆ 質問の意味が分からず戸惑った ⇨ I didn’t understand the question and didn’t know what to do (☛ Don’t understand the situation and don’t know what to do)
寝惚ける [(3)ねぼける] meaning: confuse rank: 2
☆ 彼女は寝ぼけて訳の分からないことを言った ⇨ She was half asleep and talked gibberish (☛ Literally “sleep dementia”)
惑わす [(3)まどわす] [liter] meaning: confuse rank: 2
☆ 彼女は美貌で男達を惑わす ⇨ She drives men crazy with her beauty
迷わす [(3)まよわす] meaning: confuse rank: 2
☆ この問題はわざと受験者を迷わすように出来ている ⇨ This question is intentionally designed to confuse the testees
右往左往 [(4)うおうさおう] [右往左往する] meaning: confuse rank: 3
☆ 皆どうしていいか分からず右往左往するだけだった ⇨ Nobody knew what to do and they just go left and right, wander about, in total confusion (☛ Literally means “go left and right”)
混同 [こんどう] [混同する] meaning: confuse rank: 3
☆ その二つの単語はよく混同される ⇨ Those two words often get mixed up with each other (☛ Mix up similar things)
困惑 [こんわく] [困惑する] meaning: confuse rank: 3
☆ 何を期待されているのか理解できず困惑した ⇨ I didn’t know what to do because I didn’t understand what was expected of me (☛ Don’t know what to do)
当惑 [とうわく] [当惑する] meaning: confuse rank: 3
☆ 高校生に人生の進路を決めろと言っても多くは当惑するだけだ ⇨ Most of high-schoolers won’t know what to do if you tell them to decide the directions of their lives (☛ Don’t know what to do)
まごつく [まごつく] meaning: confuse rank: 3
☆ 彼は質問の意味が解らずまごついた ⇨ He didn’t understand the question and know what to do (☛ Cannot immediately react or respond)
撹乱 [かくらん] [撹乱する] meaning: confuse rank: 4
☆ まず敵を撹乱してから攻撃する ⇨ First we create confusion among the enemy, and then attack them (☛ Confuse a large group of people)
つままれる [(4)つままれる] [狐につままれる] meaning: confuse rank: 4
☆ 彼は狐につままれたような顔をしている ⇨ He looks like he was tricked by a fox, completely stunned and confused
混ぜ返す [(3)まぜかえす] meaning: confuse rank: 4
☆ 話を混ぜ返すは止めろ ⇨ Stop stir back the discussion, interjecting irrelevant comments
惑う [(2)まどう] [liter] meaning: confuse rank: 4
☆ 四十にして惑わず ⇨ You should not be confused about life by the time you are forty
► 成句
首 [(2)くび] [首を傾げる] meaning: confuse rank: 3
☆ 彼はそれを聞いて首を傾げた ⇨ He heard that and tilted his head (in perplexity) (☛ A common gesture of confusion in Asia)
► 名詞
混乱 [こんらん] meaning: confuse rank: 2
☆ あやふやな説明が混乱を招いた ⇨ The ambiguous instructions caused confusion
戸惑い [とまどい] meaning: confuse rank: 2
☆ 戸惑いを感じる ⇨
☆ 彼女は戸惑いを浮かべた ⇨ She showed bewilderment. She looked confused (☛ Don’t understand the situation and don’t know what to do)
混同 [こんどう] meaning: confuse rank: 3
☆ それは公私混同も甚だしい ⇨ That is an outrageous example of mixing up public and private lives
困惑 [こんわく] meaning: confuse rank: 3
☆ 彼女は困惑の表情を浮かべた ⇨ She had a bewildered expression (☛ Don’t know what to do)
ごっちゃ [(3)ごっちゃ] [coll] meaning: confuse rank: 3
☆ あなた洋子と晶子をごっちゃにしてるんじゃない？ ⇨ Aren’t you confusing Yoko with Akiko?
撹乱 [かくらん] meaning: confuse rank: 4
☆ 攪乱作戦 ⇨ A tactic to create confusion among the enemy
► 形容詞
紛らわしい [(5)まぎらわしい] meaning: confuse rank: 2
☆ 誤解を招くような紛らわしいことを言うな ⇨ Don’t say ambiguous things that invite misunderstanding
☆ 審判の笛と紛らわしい笛を吹くことは禁止されている ⇨ It is prohibited to blow a whistle that can be confused with the referee’s whistle (☛ Confusingly similar)
► 感嘆詞
ふむ [(1)ふむ] [coll] meaning: confuse rank: 2
☆ ふむ… ⇨ Hmmm…
はて [(1)はて] [coll] meaning: confuse rank: 3
☆ はて、一体何のことやら？ ⇨ What? I have no idea what it is about (☛ Sounds a little old-fashioned, and thus humorous)