False friends: English and Japanese katakana words

30 English words that Japanese uses in katakana — with a different meaning. The English original won't mean what you expect.

Japanese has thousands of loanwords from English written in katakana. Many keep their meaning, but some changed on the way: a マンション is an ordinary flat, not a mansion. Words made up in Japan from English parts are called 和製英語 (wasei-eigo).

Each word below has its real meaning in Japanese, the katakana word it gets confused with, and how to say that word in English.

Test yourself ↓

Words that don't mean what they seem

mansion B1

Means: 豪邸、大邸宅
Not: マンション → apartment, condo

Mansion means a very large, expensive house, not 「マンション」 (which is an apartment or condo in English).

The movie star lives in a huge mansion.

claim B1

Means: 主張する、請求する
Not: クレーム → complaint

Claim means to say something is true or to demand something as yours, not 「クレーム」 (which is a complaint in English).

He claims that he did not take the money.

naive B2

Means: 世間知らず、だまされやすい
Not: ナイーブ → sensitive

Naive means too trusting because you lack experience, not 「ナイーブ」 (which is sensitive or delicate in English).

It is naive to believe every ad you see.

cunning B1

Means: ずる賢い
Not: カンニング → cheating

Cunning means clever at tricking people, not 「カンニング」 (which is cheating in English).

The cunning fox tricked the farmer.

seal A2

Means: アザラシ、封をする
Not: シール → sticker

Seal means the sea animal or to close something tightly, not 「シール」 (which is a sticker in English).

The seal swam near our boat.

talent B1

Means: 才能
Not: タレント → TV personality, celebrity

Talent means a natural ability, not 「タレント」 (which is a TV personality or celebrity in English).

She has a real talent for singing.

cooler A2

Means: 保冷箱、より涼しい
Not: クーラー → air conditioner

Cooler means a box that keeps food and drinks cold, not 「クーラー」 (which is an air conditioner in English).

We put the drinks in a cooler.

trump B2

Means: 勝る、切り札
Not: トランプ → playing cards

Trump means to beat something, or a trump card in a game, not 「トランプ」 (which is playing cards in English).

He played his trump card and won the game.

pension B1

Means: 年金
Not: ペンション → guesthouse, inn

Pension means money paid to people after they stop working, not 「ペンション」 (which is a guesthouse or small inn in English).

My grandfather lives on his pension.

jumper B1

Means: セーター（英）
Not: ジャンパー → jacket, windbreaker

Jumper means a sweater in British English, not 「ジャンパー」 (which is a jacket or windbreaker in English).

It is cold, so wear a jumper.

reform B1

Means: 改革する、改善する
Not: リフォーム → renovate, remodel

Reform means changing a system to make it better, not 「リフォーム」 of a home (which is renovate or remodel in English).

The government plans to reform the school system.

Words that only sometimes match

These share one meaning with the look-alike, but usually mean something else — see the example.

smart A1 sometimes

Means: 頭がいい
Not: スマート → slim

Smart means clever (or neatly dressed), never thin, so 「スマート」 in the sense of slim is slim in English.

My sister is very smart, and she loves math.

tension B1 sometimes

Means: 緊張、張りつめた空気
Not: テンション → high spirits, energy

Tension means stress or a tight, nervous feeling, not 「テンション」 as in high energy (which is excited or in high spirits in English).

There was tension in the room before the test.

handle A2 sometimes

Means: 取っ手、扱う
Not: ハンドル → steering wheel

Handle means the part you hold (like a door handle) or to deal with something; 「ハンドル」 of a car is a steering wheel in English.

She turned the handle and opened the door.

viking B1 sometimes

Means: ヴァイキング（北欧の海の戦士）
Not: バイキング → buffet

Viking means a Norse seafarer from long ago, not 「バイキング」 the all-you-can-eat meal (which is a buffet in English).

The Vikings sailed to England in long ships.

pants A1 sometimes

Means: ズボン（米）、下着（英）
Not: パンツ → underwear

Pants means trousers in American English and underwear in British English; for 「パンツ」 as underwear, underwear is safe everywhere.

He put on his pants and went to work.

stove A2 sometimes

Means: コンロ、調理用こんろ
Not: ストーブ → heater

Stove usually means the cooker in a kitchen, not 「ストーブ」 for warming a room (which is a heater in English).

Be careful, the stove is still hot.

trainer A2 sometimes

Means: コーチ、指導者
Not: トレーナー → sweatshirt

Trainer means a coach (and, in British English, a sneaker), not 「トレーナー」 the top you wear (which is a sweatshirt in English).

My trainer at the gym showed me a new exercise.

front A1 sometimes

Means: 前、正面
Not: フロント → front desk, reception

Front means the front part of something, while 「フロント」 at a hotel is the front desk or reception in English.

I sat in the front of the bus.

revenge B1 sometimes

Means: 復讐
Not: リベンジ → rematch, try again

Revenge means hurting someone because they hurt you, not 「リベンジ」 as in trying again (which is a rematch or try again in English).

He wanted revenge for what they did to him.

diet A2 sometimes

Means: 食事、食生活
Not: ダイエット → losing weight

Diet means the food you usually eat; 「ダイエット」 as losing weight is going on a diet or losing weight in English.

A healthy diet includes a lot of vegetables.

note A2 sometimes

Means: メモ、音符
Not: ノート → notebook

Note means a short written message or a musical sound, not 「ノート」 the book you write in (which is a notebook in English).

I left a note on your desk.

bike A1 sometimes

Means: 自転車
Not: バイク → motorcycle, motorbike

Bike usually means a bicycle, not 「バイク」 (which is a motorcycle or motorbike in English).

I ride my bike to school every day.

sign A2 sometimes

Means: 標識、兆し
Not: サイン → autograph, signature

Sign usually means a notice or a signal, not 「サイン」 from a celebrity (an autograph) or on a document (a signature).

The sign says the shop is closed today.

service B1 sometimes

Means: 接客、サービス業務
Not: サービス → free, on the house

Service means helping customers or work done for others, not 「サービス」 as a freebie (which is free or on the house in English).

The service at this restaurant is very slow.

complex B1 sometimes

Means: 複雑な、複合施設
Not: コンプレックス → inferiority complex

Complex usually means complicated, not 「コンプレックス」 (which is an inferiority complex or insecurity in English).

This puzzle is too complex for me.

ice A1 sometimes

Means: 氷
Not: アイス → ice cream

Ice means frozen water, not 「アイス」 (which is ice cream in English).

Do you want ice in your water?

unique B1 sometimes

Means: 唯一の、他にない
Not: ユニーク → funny, quirky

Unique means the only one of its kind, not 「ユニーク」 as funny or odd (which is quirky or funny in English).

Every snowflake is unique.

sense B1 sometimes

Means: 感覚、意味
Not: センス → good taste, style

Sense means a feeling or meaning (like the sense of smell), while 「センスがいい」 is have good taste in English.

A dog has a strong sense of smell.

Test yourself: which translation is right?

10 words from this page. One of the options is the trap — the look-alike word.

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Questions

What are Japanese–English false friends?

They are katakana loanwords whose meaning in Japanese differs from the English original, like マンション (an apartment) and English «mansion» (a very large, expensive house).

Is this the same as wasei-eigo?

Partly. Wasei-eigo (和製英語) are words made in Japan from English parts; some don't exist in English at all. This page lists only English words that exist in English but mean something different from their katakana version.

How do I stop mixing them up?

Learn each word with an English example sentence, and treat familiar katakana words as new English words. Repeating the tricky ones a few days apart helps the right meaning stick.

Levels (A1–C2) and translations come from the WordStudy dictionary. Spotted a mistake? Write to words.study.project@gmail.com.