Taking a short break from perusing the grandificently written novel Hotel Megalodon by Rick Chesler, I am here nestled on my bed writing this English-themed article. Some (or many?) friends are not real; those backstabbers or wolves in sheep's clothing should be eschewed, hurled into oblivion in a split second. Nevertheless, this is not the sense this article intends to discuss.
In linguistic terminology, a false friend is "a word in a foreign language that is similar to one in your own, so that you wrongly think they both mean the same thing" (Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English Online). It is obvious that false friends can impede a language learner's progress, misleading them into an incorrect understanding of a word. Hence, I hope the following list of English-Indonesian false friends can help English-learning Indonesian speakers and Indonesian-learning English speakers alike to avoid such a misunderstanding potentially caused by these "masquerading foes". Enjoy!
Note:
- In each entry, the first word is English and the second word Indonesian.
- The entries are arranged in alphabetical order.
- The definition of the English word is from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English Online, unless stated otherwise.
- If you would like to suggest your own false friends, feel free to contact me. I will credit you for your contribution(s).
- ballyhoo vs. baliho
- ballyhoo: when there is a lot of excitement or anger about something – used to show disapproval
- baliho: a promotional medium that gives information about an activity related to a society (Kumparan)
- Note that the word "baliho" can also refer to the English meaning above.
- bandan(n)a vs. bando
- bandan(n)a: a large brightly colo(u)red piece of cloth that you wear around your head or neck
- bando: headband
- benzene vs. bensin
- benzene: a liquid obtained from coal, used for making plastics
- bensin: gasoline [US]/petrol [UK]
- bow tie vs. bau ta(h)i
- bow tie: a short piece of cloth tied in the shape of a bow that men sometimes wear around their neck
- bau ta(h)i: the smell of f(a)eces
- bullet vs. bulat
- bullet: a small piece of metal that you fire from a gun
- bulat: round(ed)
- center [US]/centre [UK] vs. senter
- center [US]/centre [UK]: the middle of a space, area, or object, especially the exact middle; a building which is used for a particular purpose or activity
- senter: flashlight [US]/torch [UK]
- colo(u)r vs. kolor
- colo(u)r: red, blue, yellow, green, brown, purple etc.
- kolor: briefs; underpants [US]/pants [UK]
- cost vs. kos(t)
- cost: the amount of money that you have to pay in order to buy, do, or produce something
- kos(t): boarding house; bedsit [UK]
- critic vs. kritik
- critic: someone whose job is to make judgments about the good and bad qualities of art, music, films etc.; someone who criticizes a person, organization, or idea
- kritik: criticism
- dozen vs. dosen
- dozen: twelve
- dosen: lecturer
- espionage vs. spion
- espionage: the activity of secretly finding out secret information and giving it to a country’s enemies or a company’s competitors
- spion: side mirror [US]/wing mirror [UK]
- fabric vs. pabrik
- fabric: cloth used for making clothes, curtains etc.
- pabrik: factory
- grocer vs. grosir
- grocer: someone who owns or works in a shop that sells food and other things used in the home
- grosir: wholesale(r)
- groggy vs. grogi
- groggy: weak and unable to move well or think clearly because you are ill or very tired
- grogi: nervous; have butterflies (in your stomach)
- guru vs. guru
- guru: someone who knows a lot about a particular subject, and gives advice to other people; a Hindu religious teacher or leader
- guru: teacher
- hide vs. haid
- hide: to deliberately put or keep something or someone in a place where they cannot easily be seen or found; to go or stay in a place where no one will see or find you
- haid: menstruation
- ketchup vs. kecap
- ketchup: a thick cold red sauce made from tomatoes that you put on food
- kecap: soy sauce
- khaki vs. kaki
- khaki: a dull green-brown or yellow-brown colo(u)r; cloth of this colo(u)r, especially when worn by soldiers
- kaki: foot; leg
- optical vs. optik
- optical: relating to machines or processes which are concerned with light, images, or the way we see things
- optik: optometrist's [US]/optician's [UK]
- Note that the word "optik" can also refer to the English meaning above.
- ounce vs. ons
- ounce: a unit for measuring weight, equal to 28.35 grams. There are 16 ounces in a pound.
- ons: a unit for measuring weight, equal to 100 grams
- prawn vs. perawan
- prawn: a small pink shellfish that can be eaten
- perawan: virgin
- pulse vs. pulsa
- pulse: the regular beat that can be felt, for example at your wrist, as your heart pumps blood around your body
- pulsa: cell phone credit [US]/mobile phone credit [UK]
- room vs. rumah
- room: a part of the inside of a building that has its own walls, floor, and ceiling
- rumah: house; home
- sinister vs. sinis
- sinister: making you feel that something evil, dangerous, or illegal is happening or will happen
- sinis: cynical
- vocal vs. vokal
- vocal: expressing strong opinions publicly, especially about things that you disagree with; relating to the voice or to singing
- vokal: vowel
- Note that the word "vokal" can also refer to the English meanings above.
