• SkunkWorkz@lemmy.world
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    1 hour ago

    Yeah they have plenty of false friends. But that is also because a lot of words come from other languages not just English. Like how パン pan means bread, which comes from Portuguese Pão. The Chinese word Bao also has the same origin.

    Here are Japanese words that are false friends:

    マンション literally Mansion but means apartment building or condominium.
    コンセント Consent means electrical outlet.
    バイキング Viking means buffet.
    パーカー Parka can also mean hoodie not just the jacket.
    ハンドル Handle means steering wheel.
    トレーナー Trainer means sweatshirt

    Or close false friends like ハイテンション high tension means very excited or energetic in a positive way unlike the English meaning.
    ワイシャツ white shirt is a dress shirt but can be any color not just white. Probably because Japanese office worker dress code used to be a white dress shirt. Couldn’t even wear a light blue one.