掲示板 Forums - False cognates.
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Here are a few from me:
- コンセント means "electrical outlet", not "consent".
- バイキング usually means "a buffet", not a literal viking.
- カンニング means "cheating on a test", not something/someone deceptively clever.
- サラリーマン means "a male office worker". Not that you'd say "salaryman" in English, but it's still good to know.
- バイク almost always means "motorcycle", not "bicycle".
- When you call someone スマート, you're saying they're well-dressed, slim, stylish, etc., not calling them Intelligent.
- Apparently they call "strollers" "baby cars" ベビーカー :D
- ビニール you'd hear for (I think) any plastic. Like plastic bags you get when shopping.
- テンション often means "excitement" or "energy", not "stress" or "anxiety".
- クレーム is commonly used for a "complaint", not a demand/claim for something.
- ホーム is used to mean the platform at a train station
- ピンチ meaning a "difficult situation", not "to squeeze/pinch" something.
- ガソリンスタンド is what they use for a "gas station".
- ハイタッチ (high touch) means "high five"
- Apparently ペンション are boarding houses or guest houses, not a "pension" you might receive when you retire (I didn't know that one)
Bonus: This one's from Russian, but I really like it :D
カチューシャ means "hairband" (one of those horseshoe-shaped ones). It's named after a character (Катюша) in Leo Tolstoy's novel "Resurrection". I assume to a Russian speaker it sounds like either the name or the song, they'd never guess "hairband" XD
Personally, it reminds me of the MLRS (rocket launcher) 
baby car makes my insides all fuzzy
thank you for the list incredibly interesting
Here are a few from me:
- コンセント means "electrical outlet", not "consent".
- バイキング usually means "a buffet", not a literal viking.
- カンニング means "cheating on a test", not something/someone deceptively clever.
- サラリーマン means "a male office worker". Not that you'd say "salaryman" in English, but it's still good to know.
- バイク almost always means "motorcycle", not "bicycle".
- When you call someone スマート, you're saying they're well-dressed, slim, stylish, etc., not calling them Intelligent.
- Apparently they call "strollers" "baby cars" ベビーカー :D
- ビニール you'd hear for (I think) any plastic. Like plastic bags you get when shopping.
- テンション often means "excitement" or "energy", not "stress" or "anxiety".
- クレーム is commonly used for a "complaint", not a demand/claim for something.
- ホーム is used to mean the platform at a train station
- ピンチ meaning a "difficult situation", not "to squeeze/pinch" something.
- ガソリンスタンド is what they use for a "gas station".
- ハイタッチ (high touch) means "high five"
- Apparently ペンション are boarding houses or guest houses, not a "pension" you might receive when you retire (I didn't know that one)
Bonus: This one's from Russian, but I really like it :D
カチューシャ means "hairband" (one of those horseshoe-shaped ones). It's named after a character (Катюша) in Leo Tolstoy's novel "Resurrection". I assume to a Russian speaker it sounds like either the name or the song, they'd never guess "hairband" XD
Personally, it reminds me of the MLRS (rocket launcher)
I feel like it's also a toy, maybe a spinning top?
Bonus: This one's from Russian, but I really like it :D
カチューシャ means "hairband" (one of those horseshoe-shaped ones). It's named after a character (Катюша) in Leo Tolstoy's novel "Resurrection". I assume to a Russian speaker it sounds like either the name or the song, they'd never guess "hairband" XD
This one reminded me of シュシュ (French). It is such a cute word in my opinion and it means hair scrunchie.
Makes you wonder how the Japanese picked up these words, huh?
Oh my god, "Un chouchou"
Didn't know about that one (And I didn't even know it was called a "Hair scrunchie" in English x) ).
I think I know a few in French but the one that I remember the most is アベック. It means "(romantic) couple" and came the word "avec". Which is literaly just "with"...
えっ、アベックになったの？ -> Wait, you two are a "with" now? 
Languages are such a strange thing
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