List of Japanese terms mistaken for gairaigo

This is a selected list of Japanese words that appear to be foreign borrowings (known as gairaigo in Japanese), but are in fact words with Japanese origins. This confusion can stem from a number of causes. Katakana are typically reserved for words of foreign origin, but are sometimes used for Japanese words of modern or irregular formation. In addition, some Japanese words bear coincidental similarities to words in other languages (known as false cognates).

Examples

Japanese	Romaji	Meaning	Etymology	Notes
有り難う	arigatō	thank you	combination of aru ("to be" or "to exist") combined with the verb ending gatai (implying the difficulty of performing the preceding verb), modified to gatō	Similar but no relationship, to the Portuguese word "Obrigado" (Thank you, or more literally, "obliged" [to you]).
ばば （婆） or ばばあ	baba or babaa	old woman (the latter having a derogatory sense)	regular Japanese word	similar to the term баба baba (meaning "grandmother") in Russian and Polish, and a number of other words with similar meanings in many other languages (see mama and papa)
チャック	chakku	a zipper, a zip-fastener (UK)	巾着 (kinchaku) (meaning 'a purse' or 'a money pouch')
ちゃり	chari	bicycle	short form of charinko (also meaning bicycle), a word whose etymology is still a matter of debate	sometimes mistakenly identified as a shortened form of the English "chariot"
餓狼 (がろう)	garō	hungry wolf	餓 (ga - hungry) + 狼 (rō - wolf)	similar to a French word, "loup-garou", that means "werewolf"; "garou" (OF "garulf") is cognate with the English.
ネタ	neta	Information, evidence	reversal of the Japanese tane, meaning seed, cause, origin

See also

• List of gairaigo and wasei-eigo terms
• Japanese abbreviated and contracted words
• Japanese words of Portuguese origin
• Japanese words of Dutch origin
• False cognate

References

• Takashi Ichikawa, et al. (1998). Sanseidō New Modern Dictionary (三省堂現代新国語辞典 sanseidōgendaishinkokugojiten), Tokyo, Japan: Sanseido Co., Ltd. ISBN 4-385-14034-0.