勉強 ≠ Reluctance, 手紙 ≠ Tissue — The Ultimate Guide to Chinese-Japanese False Friends

If you speak Chinese, the biggest advantage of learning Japanese is that you can read the kanji. The biggest trap? Also that you can read the kanji. Many characters look identical (or nearly so) in Chinese and Japanese but mean completely different things. Linguists call these false friends.

Even if you don't speak Chinese, understanding these false friends is incredibly useful — they reveal fascinating insights into how Japanese kanji meanings diverged from their Chinese origins, and many of these words will appear on the JLPT.

Picture this: you're in a shop in Japan, and the owner cheerfully says 勉強しますよ！ (I'll give you a discount!). A Chinese speaker would hear "I'll force myself" — completely confused. Or imagine writing to a Japanese pen pal and using the word 手紙, only for them to picture... toilet paper.

Let's go through the essential false friends.

The Master Comparison Table

Pair-by-Pair Breakdown

勉強: Study ≠ Reluctance

毎日三時間、日本語を勉強しています。 → I study Japanese for three hours every day.

In Japanese, 勉強 simply means "study" or "learning" — with no nuance of reluctance or being forced. Even more surprisingly, in Osaka dialect, 勉強する can mean "to give a discount." A shopkeeper saying 勉強しますよ means "I'll cut you a deal!" — nothing to do with studying.

手紙: Letter ≠ Toilet Paper

友達に手紙を書きました。 → I wrote a letter to my friend.

This is perhaps the most legendary false friend. In Chinese, 手紙 means toilet paper/tissue. A Chinese student asking for 手紙 in Japan would be directed to a stationery shop, not a convenience store. Japanese for toilet paper is トイレットペーパー (toilet paper).

汽車: Train ≠ Automobile

汽車で東京に行きました。 → I went to Tokyo by train.

Japanese 汽車 specifically refers to a steam train or, more broadly, trains in general. "Automobile" in Japanese is 自動車 (じどうしゃ) or 車 (くるま).

大丈夫: It's OK ≠ A Great Man

大丈夫ですか。 → Are you OK? / Is everything alright?

This is one of the most frequently used words in Japanese. It means "fine," "OK," "no problem." In Chinese, 大丈夫 literally means "a great man" or "a manly hero" — a completely different concept.

怪我: Injury ≠ Blame Me

サッカーで怪我をしました。 → I got injured playing soccer.

Japanese 怪我 (けが) means "injury." If you see a news headline saying 怪我人が出た (injured people have appeared), don't read it as "people who blame me have appeared."

切手: Stamp ≠ Cut Hand

切手を買って、手紙を出しました。 → I bought stamps and mailed a letter.

切手 (きって) means "postage stamp." The word reportedly comes from an abbreviation of 切符手形 (ticket/certificate). It has nothing to do with cutting hands.

娘: Daughter ≠ Mother

娘は今年、大学に入りました。 → My daughter started university this year.

This one might have the most dramatic reversal — in Chinese, 娘 means "mother," but in Japanese, 娘 means "daughter." They are literally opposite! "Mother" in Japanese is 母 (はは) or お母さん (おかあさん).

新聞: Newspaper ≠ News

毎朝、新聞を読みます。 → I read the newspaper every morning.

Japanese 新聞 specifically means a physical newspaper. "News" in Japanese is ニュース.

走る: Run ≠ Walk

学校まで走りました。 → I ran to school.

Japanese 走る means "to run." "To walk" in Japanese is 歩く (あるく). Interestingly, the ancient Chinese character 走 originally meant "to run" (as in the classical idiom 走馬看花, "viewing flowers while galloping on horseback"). Japanese preserved this older meaning.

湯: Hot Water ≠ Soup

お湯を沸かしてください。 → Please boil some water.

Japanese 湯 means plain hot water — no ingredients involved. "Soup" in Japanese is スープ or 汁 (しる). This is why Japanese hot spring inns are called 湯宿 (ゆやど) — literally "hot water lodging."

先生: Teacher ≠ Mr./Sir

山田先生、おはようございます。 → Good morning, Professor/Dr. Yamada.

Japanese 先生 is a title for teachers, doctors, lawyers, and other professionals. It's not a general honorific for men. The Chinese equivalent of "Mr. Wang" would be 王さん in Japanese, not 王先生.

丈夫: Sturdy ≠ Husband

この靴は丈夫です。 → These shoes are sturdy/durable.

Japanese 丈夫 (じょうぶ) is a な-adjective meaning "sturdy, strong, durable." "Husband" in Japanese is 夫 (おっと) or 旦那 (だんな).

経理: Accounting ≠ Manager

経理部で働いています。 → I work in the accounting department.

Japanese 経理 means accounting/bookkeeping. "Manager" in Japanese is マネージャー or 部長 (ぶちょう, department head).

老婆: Old Woman ≠ Wife

あの老婆はとても元気です。 → That elderly lady is very energetic.

This one causes the most hilarious misunderstandings. Japanese 老婆 (ろうば) means "old woman / elderly lady." "Wife" in Japanese is 妻 (つま) or 奥さん (おくさん). Telling a Japanese person about your 老婆 would conjure an image of a grandmother, not your spouse.

Why Do False Friends Exist?

Chinese and Japanese share kanji, but over more than a thousand years of separate evolution, many words diverged in meaning:

1. Preserved archaic meanings: Japanese kept ancient Chinese meanings that modern Chinese has lost (e.g., 走る = to run, matching classical Chinese 走)
2. Semantic drift: The same word developed different meanings in each language independently (e.g., 勉強)
3. Japanese coinages: Some kanji compounds were invented in Japan (e.g., 切手)
4. Modern re-borrowing: During the Meiji era, Japan coined kanji terms for Western concepts, some of which were later adopted into Chinese (e.g., 経済 "economy," 社会 "society"), but not all meanings aligned

Memory Tips

Instead of brute-force memorization, try creating vivid, absurd mental images:

• 勉強 → Picture a Japanese student studying intensely while a Chinese observer says "Don't force yourself!"
• 手紙 → Imagine someone trying to wipe their hands with a fancy handwritten letter
• 娘 → Imagine a Japanese person introducing their daughter as 娘, and a Chinese listener wondering why they're calling her "Mom"
• 老婆 → Imagine a young man introducing his "老婆," and out walks a sweet old grandmother

The more absurd the image, the better it sticks.

Summary

• Chinese-Japanese false friends exist because kanji meanings diverged over centuries of independent evolution
• Most dangerous pairs: 手紙 (letter vs tissue), 娘 (daughter vs mother), 老婆 (old woman vs wife)
• Some false friends preserve ancient Chinese meanings (走る = run, 湯 = hot water)
• Memory technique: Create an absurd mental image for each pair

Practice Quiz

Q1. What does 大丈夫ですか mean? A. Are you a great man? B. Are you OK? C. Are you brave?

Q2. You're in Japan and want to buy toilet paper. What should you say? A. 手紙をください。 B. トイレットペーパーをください。 C. 紙をください。

Q3. Translate this Japanese sentence into English: 娘は毎日、新聞を読みます。