How can I identify false friends when learning Japanese

When learning Japanese, identifying false friends—words that look or sound similar to words in your native language but have different meanings—can be challenging. Here are some strategies to help you identify and deal with false friends effectively:

Understanding False Friends

False friends, or faux amis, are words in two languages that appear similar but differ significantly in meaning. They can lead to misunderstandings in translation and communication, especially for language learners ^{9, 10}.

Strategies for Identifying False Friends

• Learn Common False Friends: Familiarize yourself with commonly encountered false friends between Japanese and your native language. For example, the Japanese word “アニメ” (anime) refers specifically to animated TV shows or films from Japan, while in English, “anime” might be used more broadly.

• Use Contextual Clues: Pay attention to the context in which a word is used. This can help you discern whether a word is being used as you expect or if it might be a false friend.

• Cross-reference with Reliable Sources: Use dictionaries or language learning platforms that provide detailed explanations and examples of usage. This can help clarify meanings that may not align with your expectations.

• Practice with Native Speakers: Engaging in conversations with native speakers can provide practical insights into how words are used in context, helping you identify potential false friends.

• Study Language-Specific Resources: Look for resources or studies focused on Japanese language acquisition that highlight common false friends and provide examples of correct usage ².

• Be Cautious with Loanwords: Japanese uses many loanwords from English (known as gairaigo), but their meanings may have shifted. For example, “マンション” (manshon) in Japanese refers to an apartment or condominium, not a mansion as in English.

By employing these strategies, you can better navigate the complexities of learning Japanese and avoid the pitfalls of false friends.

References

• Because Attitudes Are Social Affects, They Can Be False Friends

• Masked priming investigation of cross-linguistic “false friends” with Japanese EFL learners

• THE FEATURES OF THE JAPANESE AND POLISH LANGUAGE OF LAW

• Identifying false friends between closely related languages

• How prosodic attitudes can be false friends: Japanese vs. French social affects

• “The Translator’s False Friends” in the Financial and Economic Lexicon (Based on the Material of English and Russian Languages).

• Some examples from a corpus investigation of potentially confusing polysemy and false friends in the terminology of music, centred on English and French, with equivalents in five other languages

• Classification of “false friends” in economic texts: Typical errors in English-to-Russian translation

• On “False Friends” in the Field of Economics

• THE ISSUE OF “FALSE FRIENDS” IN TERMS OF LEARNING A FOREIGN LANGUAGE (USING THE EXAMPLE OF GEORGIAN AND ENGLISH LANGUAGES)