Why is あやまち written 過ち and not 誤ち?


What's the reason for writing あやまち **過ち** and not for instance **誤ち** ?
Wouldn't that make more sense since it means to err, be incorrect...? I can
see how one would get from exceeding/overdoing a mistake, but really, isn't 誤
the better fit here?

Is there perhaps some historical reason or anything that could explain it?




You can actually write it in both ways, and they will mean slightly different
things.

過ち will imply error in moral judgement. 誤ち will imply accidental mistakes.

So it's better to write 過去の過ちを責めてはいけない rather than 過去の誤ちを責めてはいけない because in
this case, you are not talking about accidental mistakes. Similary, it's
better to write 計算を誤った than 計算を過った.




You can actually write it in both ways, and they will mean slightly different
things.

過ち will imply error in moral judgement. 誤ち will imply accidental mistakes.

So it's better to write 過去の過ちを責めてはいけない rather than 過去の誤ちを責めてはいけない because in
this case, you are not talking about accidental mistakes. Similary, it's
better to write 計算を誤った than 計算を過った.

