False cognates are pairs of words that have similar sounds and meaning, i.e., they seem to be cognates, but they actually have different origins (etymologies). The words can belong to the same language or be from different languages. Their modern meanings may be similar or not. If they currently have the same meaning, they are false cognates, but true friends.

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Translation Solutions: False Cognates
Source
Language
Term
Meaning Etymology Target
Language
Term
Meaning Etymology Relationship
thea
Ancient
Greek
goddess dhes
Indo-European
dea
Latin
goddess deiwós
Indo-European
Although both terms
mean ‘goddess,’ they are
derived from different
roots.
obrigado
Portuguese
thank you Past participle of the
verb obrigar, from
Latin obligāre, ‘to
compel.’ It results from
simplifying the
expression ‘Fico
obrigado a’ (feel
compelled) to return
a favor.
arigatoo
Japanese
thank you Compound of the
verb ar- (有り) +
adjective katasi
(難し). The
original meaning
of ありがたし
was ‘rare,
exceptional,’ and
the modern
meaning is ‘worth
thanking.’
Due to Portuguese
contact with Japan, the
loan may seem plausible,
but the Japanese language
started borrowing from
the Portuguese language
in the 16th century.
However, earlier
citations of arigatoo
may be found in
Man'yōshū 17:4011
(c. 759).

2. © 2017 Victory Productions, Inc. All Rights Reserved. www.victoryprd.com
Translation Solutions: False Cognates
Source
Language
Term
Meaning Etymology Target
Language
Term
Meaning Etymology Relationship
cash
English
money in
the form
of bills or
coins;
currency
from Middle French
caisse ‘money
box’ (16 c.), from
Provençal caissa or
Italian cassa, from
Latin capsa ‘box’
cash
Colonial
British
term
any of
various
Chinese,
Indonesian,
or Indian
coins of low
value
from Portuguese
caixa, from Tamil
kāsu, from Sanskrit
karsha, from
Sinhalese kasi:
weight of gold or
silver
Although these terms are
spelled and pronounced
the same, they are false
cognates because their
etymologies are different.
dog
English
dog from Middle English
dogge, from Old
English docga, ‘hound,
powerful breed of dog’
dog
Mbabaram
(Australian
Aboriginal
language)
dog from gudaga in
Yidiny, an
Australian
Aboriginal
language spoken
by the Yidindji
tribe
Although the words are
pronounced almost
identically, there is no
apparent relationship
between English and
Mbabaram.