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Weird words in Japanese with Portuguese

When living in a Japanese-speaking environment, Brazilians are faced with funny situations where Japanese words remind of strange things in the English language. The opposite happens, there are words in English that you cannot say in Japan.

In this article, we're going to talk about those weird-sense words that can't be spoken in public. Words that can bring embarrassment because they have another meaning in the Portuguese language or that remind you of strange things.

Why use non-existent words like takakaranomuro when there are many Japanese words that actually resemble something else in the Portuguese language? This article has two parts, the summary will help you navigate:

Weird words in Japanese with Portuguese
Fude in the girl's hand!

Japanese words that have strange meaning in English

In the Japanese language, there are some words with double meanings in Portuguese, like fude [筆], which means brush, but in Portuguese, it reminds of something else. The word for spicy in Japanese is karai [辛い], does that remind you of something?

Japanese cities also do not escape in Brazil, there are cities named Toba and Gozo. Don't even mention people's names, the sky is not the limit! Who doesn't remember the name of the character Kurapika from the anime Hunter x Hunter.

Below is a list of Japanese words that may sound strange in English:

Responsive Table: Scroll the table to the side with your finger >>
JapaneseRomanizedMeaningRemember
9時半ku ji hanNine-thirty (time)frog ass
聞かせてkikaseteListen! what the fuck
ここkokoHereCoco
送迎sougeifetch and takeI am gay
fishFishRascal
三十一thirty-one31Sandwich
ございますthank youabout gozaimasuenjoy more
仲間nakamamate, comradeInto bed
洗濯機sentakkiWashing machineSit here
飯を食うmeshiwokuueat the foodmove your ass
かごbasketBasketCago
そこsokoAliSoco
人間humanperson, someone No one
そのsutanpuThis/whatSono
先輩senpaiProfessor, masterWithout father
からkaraFromDear
みんなeveryonePeoplemine (slang)
あんた"anta"You (kansai-ben)Your tapir
manmaBoiled Rice mom
がんばganbaGo ahead (abv ganbare)Gamba

I never forget the time I was singing the song Sekai wa koi ni ochiteiru from Ao Haru Ride. Neeee, Kikasete! Ironically, Brazilians say this when they want to be listened to.

Weird words in Japanese with Portuguese
Anime of Jokes and Storytelling!

Brazilian words that have a strange meaning in Japanese

Double entendre is common in all languages. Some Brazilians have already gotten confused when paying something that the attendant asks genki desu ka? Since this expression can mean both are you well? [元気ですか] and in cash? [現金ですか].

When you are in Japan, never go out in public shouting for your father saying "Ooh Pai!" because it reminds of oppai [おっぱい] in Japanese which means breasts or nipples. Also, don’t say that you are limping, because manko [まなこ] means pussy.

In Japan, you also can't toast, because tim tim sounds like chin chin which means penis. Cubo can mean cavity, deep place, or female genitalia in Japanese (kubo [窪]). Be careful when saying cow, as it can sound like idiot (baka [ばか]).

Be careful when saying bebe [べべ] as it can sound like the private parts of a woman, or at the very least, a piece of clothing or calf. Don't even think about calling a bus busu, because in Japanese that means ugly.

Some Japanese words confuse both Brazilians in Japan and Japanese people in Brazil. For example, sen [千] in Japanese means thousand, and those who study both languages and start counting numbers often get confused.

Remembering that we also have an article talking about the falsos cognatos no idioma japonês. Many words came from the Portuguese language, but have absolutely nothing to do with the original meaning.

Weird words in Japanese with Portuguese
Photo of Thiago from How to Draw. I thought your face was funny!

Japanese names with double meanings in English

Japanese is a language with few phonemes compared to Portuguese and is also made up of syllables. So at one time or another the words will sound or remember strange things. This even involves the names of people.

Japanese names can be written with different ideograms, for this reason in the list below we will put only the names written in roman letters. I usually don't like these jokes about names, but it's hard not to notice.

  • Kuno
  • Asada
  • Kengo
  • Fuji
  • Kiku
  • Kumiko
  • Masa
  • Rika
  • Treasure
  • Tadano
  • Kagose
  • Kagome
  • Sako

I hope you enjoyed the article. If you liked it, please share it and leave your comments! The idea for this video came after watching the You in Japan video below: