# Foreign Words That Look Like English, But Don’t Mean The Same **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 27, 2010, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-words-that-look-like-english-but-don-t-mean-the-same/540902 "2010-05-27T02:04:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-words-that-look-like-english-but-don-t-mean-the-same/540902/101 "2010-05-29T07:33:27Z")
> [@Svejk\_1](#): > > Nitpick: the full word _is_ ano, in which the stress is on the ‘a-’, not on the ‘-no’, but often the ‘a-’ is left out so that all that remains is ‘no’, which does indeed mean yes. I thought the stress was on the ‘n,’ but it could well be that I was just hearing people dropping the ‘a’ altogether. > [@Autolycus](#): > > Eeeeh, nice try, but I’ve never heard Rambo rhyme with mambo, like the Japanese word ‘ranbou’ does. It’s a neat coincidence though. My accent’s British RP, in which Rambo and mambo definitely do rhyme. I’m sure they would in quite a lot of accents. ---
**Author:** ![Walpurgis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7ea924/32.png) [@Walpurgis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walpurgis)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-words-that-look-like-english-but-don-t-mean-the-same/540902/102 "2010-05-29T08:06:30Z")
> [@movingfinger](#): > > Many years ago I was working on a job site, pushing wheelbarrow loads of concrete up a ramp. I remarked to a Norwegian colleague that I needed assistance in the form of a puller for the wheelbarrow. He implored me to never say that word around a Norwegian, but he would not tell me what it meant. > > Anyone? The verb _pule_ in Norwegian is a very rude word for sex. 🙂 Interestingly it means “to fiddle with something” in Swedish. You can see where that might go wrong in pan-Scandinavian conversations. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-words-that-look-like-english-but-don-t-mean-the-same/540902/103 "2010-05-29T09:09:21Z")
> [@movingfinger](#): > > At the last second I noticed a sign on the window that said “SLUT”. > > I pointed to the sign and was about to make some smartass remark when she said, rather patiently, “I know what it means in English. In Swedish it means “Closed”. We are not selling tickets at this time.” I had to read this post twice to notice you were in the train station… I was rather wondering what she might have been selling the tickets FOR if they had been open…:eek: ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-words-that-look-like-english-but-don-t-mean-the-same/540902/104 "2010-05-29T13:09:18Z")
> [@Commander\_Keen](#): > > …let’s skip to one that actually sort of has the same meaning! > _okoru_ (happen/occur) = occur If we want to go there I can think of a few. kirei(na) in its na-adjective form sounds an awful lot like the word “clean.” I know there are others, but I’d have to look through my past vocabulary to remember them. Some other similar sounding but different ones- hiro (hero) means “fathom” (or “spacious” if you’re thinking of an adjective in non-dictionary-form). There’s also hirou which could mean, announcement or fatigue, or be a verb meaning “to gather.” (Well, I guess that last one makes sense if you consider your typical RPG schmuck hero). I suppose if you want to push it we have ~jin (sounds like gene) which means something along the lines of “person of” (i.e. “citizen of” or “in the profession of”) rather than referring to your biological information. Oh, just thought of my favorite one from class - chokin (suru) It does not have anything to do with strangling or swallowing your food badly… it means to save money. ---
**Author:** ![BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-words-that-look-like-english-but-don-t-mean-the-same/540902/105 "2010-05-29T13:22:38Z")
What about all the Japanese words stolen from English that have different meanings? Like “high tension,” which means exciting or really fun. ---
**Author:** ![ok11](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8baadc/32.png) [@ok11](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ok11)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-words-that-look-like-english-but-don-t-mean-the-same/540902/106 "2010-05-29T14:03:29Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > The word for “how” in Bulgarian is “kak”. It’s pronounced pretty much identically to the English word “cock”. In Russian, как also means how. Russian…Pronounced…Means Пуп…Poop…Belly button Лук…Look…Onion or bow Ток…Talk…Electric current Дай…Die…Give Кот…Caught…Cat (masculine) Бой…Boy…Battle Труп…Troop…Corpse Гад …God…Can’t think of a good translation, but it’s an insult (masculine) Лак…Luck…Polish (like nail polish) ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-words-that-look-like-english-but-don-t-mean-the-same/540902/107 "2010-05-29T17:44:43Z")
> [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](#): > > What about all the Japanese words stolen from English that have different meanings? Like “high tension,” which means exciting or really fun. That’s a little different, called wasei-eigo: [Wasei-eigo - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wasei-eigo) ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-words-that-look-like-english-but-don-t-mean-the-same/540902/108 "2010-05-29T18:08:20Z")
> [@ok11](#): > > In Russian, как also means how. > > Russian…Pronounced…Means > > Лук…Look…Onion or bow > Ток…Talk…Electric current > Дай…Die…Give > Труп…Troop…Corpse > Лак…Luck…Polish (like nail polish) These are the same in Bulgarian. ETA: except that in Bulgarian, “TOK” sounds like “toke”, not “talk”. I guess that’s kind of funny, too. Dai/die reminds me that the same word means “enough” in Hebrew, and is often used to tell people to shut up (like “bastante” in Spanish). It’s strangely fun to say “die!” when you want someone to shut their mouth. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-words-that-look-like-english-but-don-t-mean-the-same/540902/109 "2010-05-29T18:15:40Z")
German: _Mobbing_ has come to mean a form of group psychological bullying aimed at an individual victim, as in a school or workplace. As I’ve seen it used in English, it’s usually in the sense of a crowd converging on a celebrity or other popular person, out of adulation. ---
**Author:** ![constanze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-words-that-look-like-english-but-don-t-mean-the-same/540902/110 "2010-05-29T22:25:22Z")
Do false friends caused by Denglish\* count, although they are neologisms? Handy = cell/mobile phone Body bag = bags in different sizes worn diagonally across one shoulder (as opposed to a shoulder bag, worn straight over one shoulder, or a backpack, worn on the back) Handy-wood = Ad I recently saw, about a new mobile phone/ tarif that allows you to watch Hollywood movies on your handy (mobile). - Denglish = English words mixed into German (Deutsch), because English is cool and modern and in and hip for advertising and young modern people ---
**Author:** ![Electric\_Warrior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Electric\_Warrior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electric_Warrior)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2010, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-words-that-look-like-english-but-don-t-mean-the-same/540902/111 "2010-05-30T03:12:30Z")
I will accept **KarlGrenze** ’s correction that the RAE exists in several different countries but I continue to maintain that I was not able to find a lot of words that were Argentinian. Also, has anyone mentioned [“12 months” in Estonian](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imEHdfbbzbA)? (Slightly NSFW) ---
**Author:** ![sjc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e5b9ba/32.png) [@sjc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sjc)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2010, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-words-that-look-like-english-but-don-t-mean-the-same/540902/112 "2010-05-30T18:16:03Z")
> [@ok11](#): > > In Russian, как also means how. > > Russian > Дай…Die…Give Interestingly enough, in Italian “dai” (pronounced “die”) is the imperative form of the verb for “to give”, so you can hear people saying “die” in an angry fashion (although you are probably more likely to hear it in a wheedling or playful fashion). ---
**Author:** ![sjc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e5b9ba/32.png) [@sjc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sjc)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2010, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-words-that-look-like-english-but-don-t-mean-the-same/540902/113 "2010-05-30T18:18:43Z")
> [@Electric\_Warrior](#): > > I will accept **KarlGrenze** ’s correction that the RAE exists in several different countries but I continue to maintain that I was not able to find a lot of words that were Argentinian. > > Also, has anyone mentioned [“12 months” in Estonian](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imEHdfbbzbA)? (Slightly NSFW) When someone first posted about this on the SDMB, I started to think: “Januaar, Vebruaar, Marts… I don’t get it.” Once I watched the clip I realized that the poster meant the phrase “twelve months” not how to say the twelve months. ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2010, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-words-that-look-like-english-but-don-t-mean-the-same/540902/114 "2010-05-30T19:16:35Z")
> [@scifisam2009](#): > > My accent’s British RP, in which Rambo and mambo definitely do rhyme. I’m sure they would in quite a lot of accents. Well, in the accent where the movie was made, it doesn’t, so nyah! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![PookahMacPhellimey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pookahmacphellimey/32/3175_2.png) [@PookahMacPhellimey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PookahMacPhellimey)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2010, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-words-that-look-like-english-but-don-t-mean-the-same/540902/115 "2010-05-30T22:30:59Z")
In Dutch I can only think of “Joke”, which is a somewhat old-fashioned but perfectly normal name, but you wouldn’t want to be called that in an English speaking country. A boring but ever so common Italian one is that the “libreria” is the bookshop. If you want to borrow books you need a “biblioteca” instead. Similar thing happens in French, I believe. Perhaps in Spanish too? Had a somewhat Pythonesque debate at an Italian immigration office. I needed a social security number which you need to present often in Italy. My friends had a little plastic card, like a credit card, with the number and their name one it but I had only received a paper print-out. I didn’t know that the rules had changed and that the printout now sufficed. Me: I have this (the paper print-out) but I need the carta. Bored Civil Servant: You have the carta. Me: I need the carta. BCS: But you have it. Me: But my friends have the carta. BCS: So have you. Ad infinitum. You see, “carta” in Italian means paper, not “card”, so I kept asking for the thing that was right in front of me. I should have asked for a “tessera”. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![PookahMacPhellimey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pookahmacphellimey/32/3175_2.png) [@PookahMacPhellimey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PookahMacPhellimey)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2010, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-words-that-look-like-english-but-don-t-mean-the-same/540902/116 "2010-05-30T22:33:17Z")
> [@sjc](#): > > Interestingly enough, in Italian “dai” (pronounced “die”) is the imperative form of the verb for “to give”, so you can hear people saying “die” in an angry fashion (although you are probably more likely to hear it in a wheedling or playful fashion). It’s also an informal way of saying “yes” in Italian, akin to “yeah”. Or is that a regional thing? ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-words-that-look-like-english-but-don-t-mean-the-same/540902/117 "2010-05-31T15:41:24Z")
> [@movingfinger](#): > > Many years ago I was working on a job site, pushing wheelbarrow loads of concrete up a ramp. I remarked to a Norwegian colleague that I needed assistance in the form of a puller for the wheelbarrow. He implored me to never say that word around a Norwegian, but he would not tell me what it meant. The word _pule_ means to f\*ck in Norwegian, but it beats me how anyone could make the connection between that word and _puller_ as the pronunciations are totally different. On the other hand _pula_ in Swedish just means being busy doing something. > [@jjimm](#): > > There’s a word in Danish and Swedish which means the last few days of a sale that I don’t want to google at work, but I think it’s something like “kuntspurt”. I have no idea whatsoever what word you could be thinking of. No little bells are ringing. Then of course we have the case of the car that Honda tried to sell by the name _Fitta_. Not a good idea in Sweden and Norway as it means _pussy_ (and I’m not thinking of cats). ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-words-that-look-like-english-but-don-t-mean-the-same/540902/118 "2010-05-31T16:00:21Z")
> [@Electric\_Warrior](#): > > Also, has anyone mentioned [“12 months” in Estonian](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imEHdfbbzbA)? (Slightly NSFW) I love it! Especially because I have kinda a thing for Estonian women (long story). ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-words-that-look-like-english-but-don-t-mean-the-same/540902/119 "2010-05-31T20:10:02Z")
> [@Floater](#): > > I have no idea whatsoever what word you could be thinking of. No little bells are ringing. 😕 I corrected myself in a subsequent post. Slutspurt. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-words-that-look-like-english-but-don-t-mean-the-same/540902/120 "2010-05-31T21:03:24Z")
> [@ok11](#): > > Гад …God…Can’t think of a good translation, but it’s an insult (masculine) I’ll make note of this. If I ever hear a Russian referring to someone as a god, I’ll chuckle to myself. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-words-that-look-like-english-but-don-t-mean-the-same/540902.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-words-that-look-like-english-but-don-t-mean-the-same/540902.md?page=7)