False friends: English and Korean (Konglish)

30 English words that Korean learners know as loanwords but that mean something else in English — the Konglish traps.

Korean has borrowed a huge number of words from English, and many of them keep their meaning. But some changed on the way in, and others were invented in Korea from English parts: 커닝 is cheating on a test, 펜션 is a guesthouse, 헬스 is the gym. That is what Koreans call 콩글리시 (Konglish).

The trap is that the Korean word feels familiar, so nobody checks the English one. Each word below has its real meaning in English, the Korean loanword it gets confused with, and how to say that Korean meaning in English.

Test yourself ↓

Words that don't mean what they seem

cunning B1

Means: 교활한
Not: 커닝(컨닝) → cheating (on a test)

Cunning means clever at getting what you want by tricking others, not «커닝» (which is cheating on a test in English).

The fox is a cunning animal.

fighting A2

Means: 싸움
Not: 파이팅 → Come on! / You can do it!

Fighting means hitting or hurting each other, not «파이팅» (which is “Come on!” or “You can do it!” in English).

The two cats were fighting over the food.

cider C2

Means: 사과주, 사과 음료
Not: 사이다 → lemon-lime soda

Cider means a drink made from apples (in the UK usually alcoholic), not «사이다» (which is lemon-lime soda in English).

We drank warm apple cider by the fire.

pension B1

Means: 연금
Not: 펜션 → vacation rental, guesthouse

Pension means money paid to people after they stop working, not «펜션» (which is a vacation rental or guesthouse in English).

My grandfather lives on his pension.

talent B1

Means: 재능
Not: 탤런트 → TV actor

Talent means a natural ability to do something well, not «탤런트» (which is a TV actor or actress in English).

She has a talent for music.

health A2

Means: 건강
Not: 헬스 → gym, working out

Health means how well your body and mind are, not «헬스» (which is working out at the gym in English).

Good health is more important than money.

jumper B1

Means: 스웨터
Not: 점퍼 → jacket, padded jacket

Jumper (British English) means a warm knitted sweater, not «점퍼» (which is a jacket in English).

It's cold, so wear a jumper.

sharp B1

Means: 날카로운
Not: 샤프 → mechanical pencil

Sharp means having a thin edge that can cut, not «샤프» (which is a mechanical pencil in English).

Be careful, this knife is very sharp.

overeat B1

Means: 과식하다
Not: 오바이트 → throw up, vomit

Overeat means to eat too much, not «오바이트» (which is throw up or vomit in English).

I always overeat at birthday parties.

mansion B1

Means: 대저택
Not: 맨션 → apartment building

Mansion means a very large, expensive house, not «맨션» (which is an apartment building in English).

The singer lives in a huge mansion.

Words that only sometimes match

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

claim B1 sometimes

Means: 주장하다
Not: 클레임 → complaint

Claim means to say that something is true, or to ask for money or rights you are owed; a shop complaint («클레임») is a complaint in English.

He claims that he saw a ghost.

handle A2 sometimes

Means: 손잡이, 처리하다
Not: 핸들 → steering wheel

Handle means the part you hold (a door handle) or to deal with something, not «핸들» (which is a steering wheel in English).

Please hold the handle with both hands.

service B1 sometimes

Means: 서비스, 봉사
Not: 서비스 → freebie, on the house

Service means help or work done for people, but never a free extra; «서비스» in that sense is a freebie or “on the house” in English.

Is the service charge included in the bill?

meeting A2 sometimes

Means: 회의, 모임
Not: 미팅 → group blind date

Meeting means a time when people come together to talk; «미팅» in the sense of a students' group date is a group blind date in English.

The team meeting starts at ten.

diet A2 sometimes

Means: 식단, 먹는 음식
Not: 다이어트 → weight-loss diet (to be on a diet)

Diet means the food you usually eat; only «be on a diet» means eating less to lose weight, the sense of «다이어트».

A healthy diet includes lots of vegetables.

complex B1 sometimes

Means: 복잡한
Not: 콤플렉스 → insecurity, inferiority complex

Complex usually means having many parts and hard to understand, not «콤플렉스» (which is insecurity or an inferiority complex in English).

This math problem is too complex for me.

skin B1 sometimes

Means: 피부, 껍질
Not: 스킨 → toner

Skin means the outer covering of the body, not «스킨» (which is toner in English).

She has very soft skin.

sense B1 sometimes

Means: 감각, 느낌
Not: 센스 → good taste, tact

Sense means a feeling or one of the five senses; for «센스 있다» English says good taste, tact or a good sense of humor.

Dogs have a strong sense of smell.

villa B1 sometimes

Means: 별장
Not: 빌라 → low-rise apartment, multi-family house

Villa means a large house in the country or by the sea, not «빌라» (which is a low-rise apartment building in English).

We rented a villa by the sea.

condition B1 sometimes

Means: 상태
Not: 컨디션 → how you feel (physically)

Condition means the state something is in; to say how you feel today («컨디션»), English usually uses feel: «I feel great today».

The car is in good condition.

tension B1 sometimes

Means: 긴장
Not: 텐션 → energy, excitement

Tension means a feeling of worry or being pulled tight, not «텐션» in the sense of high spirits (which is energy or excitement in English).

There was a lot of tension in the room.

event A2 sometimes

Means: 행사, 일어난 일
Not: 이벤트 → promotion, giveaway

Event means something that happens or a planned activity, not «이벤트» in the sense of a shop promotion (which is a promotion or giveaway in English).

The school sports event is on Friday.

over A1 sometimes

Means: ~ 위에, 끝난
Not: 오버(하다) → overreact, go overboard

Over means above something or finished, not «오버하다» (which is overreact or go overboard in English).

The game is over.

mental B1 sometimes

Means: 정신적인
Not: 멘탈 → mental strength

Mental is an adjective meaning about the mind, not the noun «멘탈» (which is mental strength in English).

Sleep is important for your mental health.

spec C1 sometimes

Means: 사양, 명세
Not: 스펙 → qualifications, credentials

Spec is short for specification, the technical details of a product, not «스펙» in the sense of a job seeker's record (which is qualifications in English).

Check the spec before you buy the laptop.

training A2 sometimes

Means: 훈련, 교육
Not: 트레이닝(복) → tracksuit, sweatsuit

Training means learning to do a job or sport, not «트레이닝(복)» (which is a tracksuit in English).

She does strength training twice a week.

scandal B2 sometimes

Means: 추문
Not: 스캔들 → celebrity dating rumor

Scandal means an event that shocks people because it is wrong, not «스캔들» in the sense of a celebrity dating rumor (which is a dating rumor in English).

The scandal was in every newspaper.

interior B2 sometimes

Means: 내부
Not: 인테리어 → interior design, decor

Interior means the inside part of something, not «인테리어» (which is interior design or decor in English).

The interior of the car is very clean.

bike A1 sometimes

Means: 자전거
Not: 바이크 → motorcycle

Bike usually means a bicycle; it can also mean a motorcycle, so to be clear about «바이크» (a motorcycle) say motorcycle.

I ride my bike to school.

stand A1 sometimes

Means: 서다, 받침대
Not: 스탠드 → desk lamp

Stand means to be on your feet, or a stall or holder, not «스탠드» (which is a desk lamp in English).

Please stand up when the teacher comes in.

Test yourself: which translation is right?

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

Practise these words in WordStudy

Add the words you missed and the app will repeat them in cards, quizzes and spelling until they stick.

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Questions

What are false friends?

False friends are words in two languages that look or sound alike but have different meanings. For Korean speakers this mostly means English words whose Korean loanword (콩글리시) means something else, like English «pension» (연금) and Korean «펜션» (a vacation rental).

Why are there so many in English and Korean?

Korean borrowed many words from English, some directly and some through Japanese, and shortened, narrowed or reshaped them; some were even coined in Korea from English parts. The sound stayed close to English while the meaning moved on its own.

How do I stop mixing them up?

Learn each word with an example sentence rather than as a one-word translation, and check familiar-sounding loanwords too. Practising 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.