How do Chinese false friends differ from those in other languages like Japanese

Chinese false friends and Japanese false friends differ in several notable ways related to their linguistic origins, structure, and cultural contexts:

1. Nature of False Friends:

   • Chinese false friends often arise from similar-sounding words or visually similar characters that have different meanings within Chinese itself or compared with other languages (including English). ^{1, 2}
   • Japanese false friends frequently involve kanji characters borrowed from Chinese that look similar but differ in meaning or pronunciation. They also arise from gairaigo (loanwords) mainly from English, where the word looks or sounds familiar but means something different in Japanese (wasei-eigo). ^{3, 4, 5}

2. Language Families and Scripts:

   • Chinese is a tonal language with logographic characters (hanzi). False friends may come from tones, character shapes, or usage differences with other languages. ²
   • Japanese uses kanji (Chinese characters) combined with kana scripts, and also borrows heavily from English and other languages, creating more false friends from loanwords alongside kanji false friends. ^{5, 6}

3. Examples:

   • Chinese example: “餐厅” (cāntīng) means “a restaurant” but may be confused with English “canteen,” which has a different meaning. ^{1, 2}
   • Japanese example: “マンション” (manshon) means “apartment” in Japanese but resembles the English word “mansion,” which means a large house. ⁶
   • Kanji example: “先生” means “mister” or “sir” in modern Chinese but means “teacher” in Japanese. ^{4, 7}

4. Cultural Differences Influencing Meaning:

   • Chinese false friends often reflect cultural expressions or idioms that do not translate directly or have different connotations in English or other languages. ²
   • Japanese false friends especially from wasei-eigo create misleading meanings if taken directly from English, while kanji false friends highlight shifts in meaning since borrowing from Chinese. ^{5, 6}

In summary, Chinese false friends tend to stem from internal language nuances and differences with other languages, while Japanese false friends are heavily influenced by a combination of Chinese character usage and English loanwords, resulting in a broader range of false friend types.

References

• False friends in English and Mandarin. - haonowshaokao

• False friends when learning Chinese

• List of Chinese–Japanese false friends

• 35 Common False Friends in Chinese and Japanese

• False friends between English and Japanese Pictures

• 20 Japanese-English False Friends You Need to Know

• List of Chinese–Japanese false friends

• Worst Japanese ‘False friend’ : r/ChineseLanguage

• Hanzi, Kanji, and Hanja: Why are they both Similar and …

• Appendix:False friends between Chinese and Japanese

• Chinese-Japanese False Friends

• False cognates and false friends : r/LearnJapanese

• Understanding Japanese Kanji Creations and False Friends

• What “false friends” are there between Japanese and English?

• Japenglish / Wasei-Eigo: A List Of Japanese False Friends

• False cognates - Japanese Language

• Wasei-eigo: False Friends in Japanese - WorkInJapan.today