Chinese-Japanese False Friends
In this lesson, we’re going to look at twenty false friends between Chinese logographic characters and Japanese kanji. Because the Japanese concept of kanji has its origins in the more complicated, Chinese traditional characters, many kanji do indeed have the same or similar meanings to the Chinese characters from which they were borrowed. As with any pair of languages with a shared linguistic history, however, you need to be especially careful of false friends. In particular, you should be mindful of Chinese-Japanese false friends when writing. False friends are much less of an issue in spoken Chinese and Japanese because the false friend characters usually have entirely different pronunciations in their respective languages.
Character(s) | Chinese
Pronunciation |
Chinese
Meaning |
Japanese Pronunciation | Japanese
Meaning |
暗算
|
Ànsuàn | Plot, scheme | Anzan | Mental arithmetic |
吃る | Chīru
|
Eat | Domoru | Stutter |
大丈夫
|
Dàzhàngfū | Real man, gentleman, man of honor
(lit. “big man”) |
Daijōbu | All right, okay |
方面
|
Fāngmiàn | Aspect | Hōmen | Direction |
非常
|
Fēicháng | Very much | Hijō | Emergency |
怪我
|
Guàiwǒ | Blame me | Kega | Injury |
娘
|
Niang | Mother | Musume | Daughter |
切手
|
Qièshǒu | Cut one’s hand | Kitte | Stamp |
親友
|
Qīnyǒu | Friends and relatives in general | Shin’yū | A close friend |
侍
|
Shì | To serve, wait on, attend upon | Samurai | Samurai, warrior |
手紙
|
Shǒuzhǐ | Toilet paper | Tegami | Letter |
私 | Sī | Personal, private, selfish | Watashi | I |
汤
湯 |
Tāng | Soup | Yu | Hot water,
hot spring |
先生 | Xiānshēng | Mr. | Sensei | Doctor, mentor, teacher |
下手 | Xiàshǒu | Start with (something) | Heta
|
Awkward, clumsy, inept, unskilled |
邪魔
|
Xiémó | Demon, devil | Jama | Hindrance |
演出
|
Yǎnchū | To act in a play, show, performance | Enshutsu | Director, producer of a show/play |
有難う | Yǒunánu | Difficulty, hardship, calamity | Arigatō | Thank you |
约束
約束 |
Yuēshù | Constraint, bind, restrict | Yakusoku
|
A promise |
丈夫
|
Zhàngfū | Husband | Jōbu | Sturdy, strong, robust |