What are some common Japanese-English false friends in everyday conversation

Common Japanese-English false friends in everyday conversation are words that look or sound like English but have quite different meanings in Japanese. Here are some notable examples:

• マンション (manshon): In Japanese, this means an apartment or condominium, not a large, luxurious house as in English “mansion”. ^{3, 7}

• アバウト (abauto): While “about” in English means approximately, in Japanese it carries a negative nuance suggesting vagueness or carelessness. ⁶

• バイキング (baikingu): Means buffet in Japanese, but in English “Viking” refers to Scandinavian pirates. ⁷

• スマート (sumāto): Means slim or slender in Japanese, while in English it means intelligent or fashionable. ⁸

• コンセント (consento): In Japanese, this means an electrical outlet, not consent as in English. ¹

• サービス (sābisu): Can mean free of charge or extra in Japanese, different from “service” in English. ¹

These false friends arise because Japanese often borrows English words and rewires their meanings uniquely, especially in katakana loanwords frequently used in daily Japanese conversation. Being aware of these can help avoid misunderstandings. ^{5, 8}

If you want, more examples or explanations about specific words can be provided.

References

• False friends between English and Japanese Pictures

• 10 Japanese-English False Friends

• False Friends – Part One: The Everyday Misleaders

• False cognates and false friends : r/LearnJapanese

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

• Japanese-English False Friends

• 20 Japanese-English False Friends You Need to Know

• Katakana, Part 2: Loan words and false friends - bijinjapan

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

• False friends in Japanese and English contrasting practice