銀杏樹
Japanese Words Taiwanese People Often Misunderstand
Many Japanese words contain kanji, so people who understand Chinese tend to guess their meanings. Some indeed mean what they literally look like, but many have completely different meanings from Chinese! Here are a few examples: Kanji | Pronunciation | Meaning ---|---|--- 床（ゆか） | floor 娘（むすめ） | daughter 愛人（あいじん） | lover (mistress/affair partner) 人参（にんじん） | carrot 心中（しんじゅう） | suicide (often implying mutual suicide) or self-harm 夢中（むちゅう） | absorbed in, passionate about something There are many words like these, and they can be quite a trap for Japanese beginners XD
2026.08.27 PM 8:47 · View Count 141
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Lv.30
阿月貓
🫠
Lv.100
AstaHuang
Haven't heard of the lover one, that's pretty cool 😆 It made me think of the term 'Muri-shinju' (無理心中) mentioned in the Japanese drama 'Unnatural', which refers to forcing someone unwilling to die with you (usually followed by suicide). I wondered back then why the literal meaning was hard to connect, but now I get it~
Lv.33
野生喵喵怪
Ahhh I know about the lover one!! lol Didn't know any of the others, thanks for the info!
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Lv.33
野生喵喵怪
I really like this topic!
Lv.53
吃睡平安
Learned something new! I've studied the one about loved ones before, but I still get confused when I see it again after a while🫠
Lv.98
娜娜Anna
The meaning is quite different.
Lv.99
無我
The difference in meaning is quite significant. I was just thinking about learning Japanese, so I'll have to work harder.
Lv.102
伊歐
It can be a bit confusing for beginners, but if you're learning Japanese out of interest, you've probably heard similar words here and there in Japanese dramas or anime.