<p>These sorts of coincidences are somewhat inevitable. Just try to accept that there's a limited number of ways to arrange sounds in your language, and some will sound similar to words in other languages.</p>
<p>When I was trying to learn Hungarian, I came across a number of words that reminded me of words I knew in English and other languages. Some examples:</p>
<ul>
<li> <em>repülőter</em> &quot;airport&quot; /  re-polluter</li>
<li> <em>csillag</em>&quot;star&quot; /  ceiling</li>
<li> <em>és</em> &quot;and&quot; /  <em>es</em> &quot;it is&quot;</li>
<li> <em>a nap</em> &quot;the sun&quot; /  a nap</li>
<li> <em>a bolt</em> &quot;the store&quot; /  a bolt</li>
<li> <em>öt</em> &quot;five&quot; /  <em>otto</em> &quot;eight&quot;</li>
</ul>
<p>I also had a recent case on the CBB where I posted my conlang Atili's word for &quot;citrus&quot; <em>zilu</em>, and immediately got asked if I borrowed that word from Kankonian (another conlang) <em>tzelua</em> &quot;citrus.&quot; I hadn't. <a href="https://cbbforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&amp;t=7235&amp;p=300948#p300948" rel="nofollow noreferrer">CBB thread</a></p>
<p>Then there is the fairly well-known case of the Mandarin filler phrase 那個 / 那个 <em>nèige</em>, which sounds to many English speakers like a racial slur. See this posting on the Chinese language stack for more details: <a href="https://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/22145/very-frequently-used-word-in-mandarin-that-sounds-like-nica-or-nigah/22146#22146">Very frequently used word in Mandarin that sounds like &quot;nica&quot; or &quot;nigah&quot;</a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-10T17:06:55.937Z
French "seal" (the animal) is *phoque*, and it sounds exactly what you'd think it does to English speakers. When I took French and we learned the word, the teacher started rolling his eyes even before stating the word because he knew what was coming from a classroom of kids.
Keith Morrison
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-09-20T04:03:13.117Z
Toki Pona borrows "bibitte" from Canadian French, a colloquial term for bug or critter. But in Toki Pona's very strict phonology, the word becomes "pipi", which sounds like French's childish word for pee. Such is life :)
Domino
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-09T12:15:30.853Z
2022-09-16T09:09:09.193Z
2022-09-16T09:09:09.193Z
OpenAI was the last straw
<p>This is a bit subjective problem. As a Hungarian who knows English, I have the high ground when it comes to making up words, as I can mush the English and Hungarian words together with some outliers (usually Japanese-sounding words) and things I make up. However, first, let's take a look at a composite I created with my WIP Swadesh list:</p>

<p><strong>rén</strong>+<em>kile</em> = <strong>red</strong> <em>feather</em> = rékile/régile</p>

<p>Red Feather is a rare genetic mutation among tengu (based-off of Japanese mythology;  anthro birds, six-limbed variant). Those who are born with this mutation have striking red plumage, yellow/golden beak and eyes, along with an unusual pointy crest, similar to that of a cockatiel. Rékile is often translated to phoenix in Common (British English). While the resemblance is hard to deny, rékile tengu don't set themselves on fire, nor revert into younger forms.</p>

<p>Now, régi means old in Hungarian. And Ré is Hungarian for Ra, who just happened to be a god with a bird's head and is associated with the Sun (which is a deadly laser). Rékile is still passable, but some words are so <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reification_(Marxism)" rel="nofollow noreferrer">reified</a> in my mind that even lookalikes carry unwanted connotations.</p>

<p>who? (“?” not) = námó (I keep hearing nani)<br>
what? (“?” not) = názá (Názáreti Jézus)</p>

<p>dog = gadór (<a href="https://hu.wiktionary.org/wiki/csador" rel="nofollow noreferrer">csador</a> <em>Oh no!</em> or <a href="https://hu.wiktionary.org/wiki/csahol" rel="nofollow noreferrer">csahol</a> <em>I'd prefer to go with that one</em>)</p>

<p>I know it sounds and is dumb, but I can't concentrate when I look at my language and I can still see the anime references and Hungarian words in my mind. I don't want to throw out Hungarian entirely, but I'm still afraid people will pick up these accidental collisions of my languages. <strong>How can I minimize the number of those collisions?</strong></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-09T00:48:52.020Z
There are infinite coincidences between languages. You should see all the nonsense people post at [linguistics.se] trying to posit links between random languages because of a single similar word. I think this is a problem you just have to get over yourself, because there will always be coincidences for someone.
curiousdannii
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-09T00:50:09.230Z
@curiousdannii I think some concrete examples would calm my soul (a bit)
Mephistopheles
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-11T17:12:15.723Z
@KeithMorrison As a native speaker of Russian language I know that there is no word "talik" in Russian language.
USERNAME GOES HERE
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-11T17:13:15.270Z
@KeithMorrison Maybe it is very rare but I really didn't hear it...
USERNAME GOES HERE
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-11T20:32:00.990Z
@VictorVosMottorthanksMonica, "talik" is a technical term coined by Russian researchers in the 1940s to describe unfrozen ground in a permafrost region, that they derived from *tayat'*
Keith Morrison
<conlang-creation><vocabulary>
What to do when my conlang has a word that means something in one of my languages?
# What to do when my conlang has a word that means something in one of my languages?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-06-09)

This is a bit subjective problem. As a Hungarian who knows English, I have the high ground when it comes to making up words, as I can mush the English and Hungarian words together with some outliers (usually Japanese-sounding words) and things I make up. However, first, let's take a look at a composite I created with my WIP Swadesh list:

**rén**+*kile* = **red** *feather* = rékile/régile

Red Feather is a rare genetic mutation among tengu (based-off of Japanese mythology; anthro birds, six-limbed variant). Those who are born with this mutation have striking red plumage, yellow/golden beak and eyes, along with an unusual pointy crest, similar to that of a cockatiel. Rékile is often translated to phoenix in Common (British English). While the resemblance is hard to deny, rékile tengu don't set themselves on fire, nor revert into younger forms.

Now, régi means old in Hungarian. And Ré is Hungarian for Ra, who just happened to be a god with a bird's head and is associated with the Sun (which is a deadly laser). Rékile is still passable, but some words are so [reified](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reification_(Marxism)) in my mind that even lookalikes carry unwanted connotations.

who? (“?” not) = námó (I keep hearing nani)  
what? (“?” not) = názá (Názáreti Jézus)

dog = gadór ([csador](https://hu.wiktionary.org/wiki/csador) *Oh no!* or [csahol](https://hu.wiktionary.org/wiki/csahol) *I'd prefer to go with that one*)

I know it sounds and is dumb, but I can't concentrate when I look at my language and I can still see the anime references and Hungarian words in my mind. I don't want to throw out Hungarian entirely, but I'm still afraid people will pick up these accidental collisions of my languages. **How can I minimize the number of those collisions?**

**Tags:** conlang-creation, vocabulary
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: There are infinite coincidences between languages. You should see all the nonsense people post at [linguistics.se] trying to posit links between random languages because of a single similar word. I think this is a problem you just have to get over yourself, because there will always be coincidences for someone.  
> **username_0**: @curiousdannii I think some concrete examples would calm my soul (a bit)  
> **username_2**: @KeithMorrison As a native speaker of Russian language I know that there is no word "talik" in Russian language.  
> **username_2**: @KeithMorrison Maybe it is very rare but I really didn't hear it...  
> **username_3**: @VictorVosMottorthanksMonica, "talik" is a technical term coined by Russian researchers in the 1940s to describe unfrozen ground in a permafrost region, that they derived from *tayat'*  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_4 on 2020-06-09. Score: 5

These sorts of coincidences are somewhat inevitable. Just try to accept that there's a limited number of ways to arrange sounds in your language, and some will sound similar to words in other languages.

When I was trying to learn Hungarian, I came across a number of words that reminded me of words I knew in English and other languages. Some examples:

* *repülőter* "airport" / re-polluter
* *csillag*"star" / ceiling
* *és* "and" / *es* "it is"
* *a nap* "the sun" / a nap
* *a bolt* "the store" / a bolt
* *öt* "five" / *otto* "eight"

I also had a recent case on the CBB where I posted my conlang Atili's word for "citrus" *zilu*, and immediately got asked if I borrowed that word from Kankonian (another conlang) *tzelua* "citrus." I hadn't. [CBB thread](https://cbbforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=7235&p=300948#p300948)

Then there is the fairly well-known case of the Mandarin filler phrase 那個 / 那个 *nèige*, which sounds to many English speakers like a racial slur. See this posting on the Chinese language stack for more details: [Very frequently used word in Mandarin that sounds like "nica" or "nigah"](https://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/22145/very-frequently-used-word-in-mandarin-that-sounds-like-nica-or-nigah/22146#22146)

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: French "seal" (the animal) is *phoque*, and it sounds exactly what you'd think it does to English speakers. When I took French and we learned the word, the teacher started rolling his eyes even before stating the word because he knew what was coming from a classroom of kids.  
> **username_5**: Toki Pona borrows "bibitte" from Canadian French, a colloquial term for bug or critter. But in Toki Pona's very strict phonology, the word becomes "pipi", which sounds like French's childish word for pee. Such is life :)  

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