Vvi Posted January 20, 2009 Report Share Posted January 20, 2009 (edited) I just read comments on Facebook the other day about words that sound strange to foreigners who don't understand Finnish. And I thought that since there's obviously words in every language that make foreigners laugh, we should share them (and maybe learn some new vocabulary at the same time).If you post a word in your language, please provide a translation in English so that people can laugh at it. And if it's in an alphabet that is not Latin, also write how to pronounce it.To start off with:Finnish wordsLämpimämpi- It means "warmer".Fillarilla- On a bike.Valtavalta- Great.Bilehile- Word for a shallow person who lives to party and does nothing else with their life.I don't know why we have this habit of making rhyming words that sound stupid unless you know what they mean. Edited January 20, 2009 by Vvi Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aether Posted January 20, 2009 Report Share Posted January 20, 2009 OOh I got one in spanish!! I guess there are many native speakers that don't know it exists:Soplamocos: Literally traduced it will mean " Booger blow", however it means a good punch in the nose. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abu Posted January 20, 2009 Report Share Posted January 20, 2009 Plaisanterie Word for 'joke' in French. Sounds funny in itself Pisu That means 'mad' in Sinhalese, sounds like Pissed Can't remember any others in any other language. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashika Posted January 20, 2009 Report Share Posted January 20, 2009 Hmm, well, I swear even though Newfoundlanders speak english... it's like a whole different type of language:Whaddayat? = What's upYes b'y! = What? Really? Wow!By da jesus = oh my godHow's she cutting? = How are you?There are SOOO many more... I just can't think of anymore at the moment.Oh, and I will leave you all with my fave french word:Pamplemousse = Grapefruit Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stereoisomer Posted January 21, 2009 Report Share Posted January 21, 2009 LOL ASHIKA! That's hiarious!In Maori (which is the native language in NZ. The Maori were the aboriginals of NZ, they first discovered the country and named it Aotearoa which means land of the clouds)Toto = bloodakomanga = classroom (which reminds of Manga)pōwhiri = to welcomewhanaungatanga = related (it's just really long) Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abu Posted January 21, 2009 Report Share Posted January 21, 2009 If we're getting into Maori talk, then the names of some places in Auckland really make me go W T F! Otahuhu? Whangarei? Manukau, Onehunga etc etc. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vvi Posted January 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2009 (edited) LOL ASHIKA! That's hiarious!Toto = bloodakomanga = classroom (which reminds of Manga)pōwhiri = to welcomewhanaungatanga = related (it's just really long)That last one is hard to pronounce. And in Swahili, watoto means child. Hiki=sweat. It's pronounced like "hickey". I taught a friend to say "Mul on hiki" which means "I'm sweaty" but to other people listening sounds like "I have a hickey".Koko kokkoko?= The whole bonfire? As in, someone says "Light the bonfire" and you reply "The whole bonfire?" Which is stupid, coz you can't set half a bonfire on fire.Finnish also has ridiculously long words that no one uses.Epäjärjestelmällistyttämättömyydelläänsäkäänköhän= Apparently either this or the next word are in the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest word. Someone defined it as "The reverse of the reverse of something abstract that is made to be unorganized, which is owned by someone, and is one of the two or more (possibly similar) attributes that have a negative atmosphere or lack of something, and we doupt if it is it at the same time that we ensure that it truly is."Lentokonesuihkuturbiinimoottoriapumekaanikkoaliupseerioppilas= "Jet airplane turbine motor apprentice mechanic under-officer student". I don't know army ranks in Finnish. But it's a position in the Finnish army.Atomiydinenergiareaktorigeneraattorilauhduttajaturbiiniratasvaihde= Literally "the atomic nuclear energy reactor generator waste water turbine cog lever". Edited January 21, 2009 by Vvi Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
moneyfaery Posted January 21, 2009 Report Share Posted January 21, 2009 Koko kokkoko?= The whole bonfire? As in, someone says "Light the bonfire" and you reply "The whole bonfire?" Which is stupid, coz you can't set half a bonfire on fire.Koko kokkoko? Hoho ho ho ho Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
KjeAlb Posted January 21, 2009 Report Share Posted January 21, 2009 One Norwegian word i can think of isfart = speedIn norway we also build up the words in a different way, so it's easy to build up ridiculous long words with simple meaning:sjokoladepapirstrimler = strips of chocolate paperfjernkontrollbatterier = batteries in a remote controland so on =P Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
biochem Posted January 22, 2009 Report Share Posted January 22, 2009 kiki riki - peanuts in Serbianpasarlas putas - to go through hell in Spanishpeder - "fag" (serbian) , similar to perder (to loose) in spanish. My friends from Peru always find it funny. lol.Kuca (house - serbian) - pronounced, like coochie. konj: horse in serbian, pronounced like cono in spanish.chinese expression, written in english reading form: wo-men en-tsi tsu chu fun "we go to lunch". uncanny expression. molestar: to bother in spanish, to sexually violate in english (molest, molestor) Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
IBStuck Posted January 22, 2009 Report Share Posted January 22, 2009 i rember learning molestar... it came in the chapter where we were laering about childhood, and thought that it was terrible that they taught us the word for to molest. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruan Chun Xian Posted January 22, 2009 Report Share Posted January 22, 2009 Hmm, well, I swear even though Newfoundlanders speak english... it's like a whole different type of language:Try Aussie English Two years in Australia and I can't get used to the expression 'Far out!' which apparently means a variety of things ranging from 'Wow' to 'Crap!' (the way my uni friends use it anyway).The Chinese word for speak/say - shuo 说 - gets made fun of a lot in Vietnamese because it sounds like the Vietnamese word for 'bark' (as in dog). Vietnamese is much more fun when you do transliteration - literal translation of phrases. Guess what 'no star where' means? Then again, Google translation is pretty awesome when it manage to 'translate' that meaningless phrase into the intended Vietnamese phrase. Spoiler - Click me! 'No star where' is a transliteration of 'no problem'. No problem in Vietnamese is 'không sao đâu', which more literally would mean 'nothing is the matter'không = nosao: several meanings. On its own, it can mean star, but can also mean something happening, something is the matterđâu: again several meanings, including 'where', but when used in a negative phrase, it's like a filler word (can't remember the technical term for it )So by this translation, 'no star where' is basically teen slang for 'no problem' [Close] Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Lc~ Posted January 22, 2009 Report Share Posted January 22, 2009 Khara means poo in Arabic and happines in Greek it's a joke I've been using for a while now! *sighs* Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tilia Posted January 22, 2009 Report Share Posted January 22, 2009 In Swedish we also have "fart" for speed. But what most English speakers react to is the word "fack", meaning a lot of things, category for example. One can also make funny sentences with the words "å" (stream) and "ö" (island) Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vvi Posted January 22, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2009 Khara means poo in Arabic and happines in Greek it's a joke I've been using for a while now! *sighs*Finnish and Arabic have some similar sounding words that have really disturbing meanings.Harja (pronounced like kharia and meaning the same thing as ****)= brush (hairbrush, tooth brush, etc.)Arabic namesMaha=Stomach. Nuha= A cold (like the illness).Hana= Tap (like above the sink).Muna= Egg.Naama= Face.And the Finnish boy's name Eero refers to some unmentionable parts of the male anatomy in Arabic (at least in the Jerusalemite dialect, maybe not in other Arab speaking countries). Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seby Brooks Posted January 22, 2009 Report Share Posted January 22, 2009 ok heres some Swiss GermanKuchikästli - KitchencubardKaugumi- ChewingumUntrem kuchikästli chläpt e chläberige kaugumi. - Underneath the Kitchencubard sticks a sticky chewinggum.Chilbegigu or Klöpfer. Type of sausage. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vvi Posted January 22, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2009 In Swedish we also have "fart" for speed. But what most English speakers react to is the word "fack", meaning a lot of things, category for example. One can also make funny sentences with the words "å" (stream) and "ö" (island)Haha I speak no Swedish so hearing that fart is speed in both Norwegian and Swedish is hilarious. I knew the fack thing, there's that song about Pippi (Peppi Longstocking). "Här kommer Pippi Långstrump. Tjolahopp tjolahej tjolahoppsansa. Här kommer Pippi Långstrump. Ja, här kommer faktiskt jag." Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
FahaD Posted January 22, 2009 Report Share Posted January 22, 2009 Arabic namesMaha=Stomach. Nuha= A cold (like the illness).Hana= Tap (like above the sink).Muna= Egg.Naama= Face.And the Finnish boy's name Eero refers to some unmentionable parts of the male anatomy in Arabic (at least in the Jerusalemite dialect, maybe not in other Arab speaking countries).You got the names wrong Maha= an Arabian deer famous for it's large black eyesNuha= ???Hana= Peacefulness ( i think ) Muna= WishNaama= GraceStomach= ma'eda (ma3eda)Egg= Baydh (bay'9)Cold= Zakma, Zokam or rasheh (rashe7)Tap= sanboora (9anboora)Face= wajehThe Euro loool. it's also said Eery as in mine and Euro as in his Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vvi Posted January 22, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2009 You got the names wrong Maha= an Arabian deer famous for it's large black eyesNuha= ???Hana= Peacefulness ( i think ) Muna= WishNaama= GraceStomach= ma'eda (ma3eda)Egg= Baydh (bay'9)Cold= Zakma, Zokam or rasheh (rashe7)Tap= sanboora (9anboora)Face= wajehThe Euro loool. it's also said Eery as in mine and Euro as in his The words I wrote after the Arabic names were what they mean in Finnish. So Maha in Finnish is stomach, and Hana is tap, etc. All the Arabic I know is made up of curse words because that's all I ever hear people use. Plus when I tried to get people to teach me real sentences, they taught me curse words thinking it would be funny to see people's faces when I said "Good morning" to them. So I don't speak that much Arabic, but I understand it when people speak it.Where are you from originally? I don't know if I would actually understand any of the Arabic you speak if you're from Saudi Arabia or wherever No offense. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deissi Posted January 22, 2009 Report Share Posted January 22, 2009 Koko kokkoko? Hoho ho ho ho The riddle goes:Kokko, kokoo kokko. Koko kokkoko? Koko kokko.Which means "Kokko (name), build a bonfire. A whole bonfire? The whole bonfire."Lentokonesuihkuturbiinimoottoriapumekaanikkoaliupseerioppilas= Jet airplane turbine motor apprentice mechanic non-commisioned officer cadet" Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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