How to say "false" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 疑似ぎじprenominal modifierCovers 'false' as pseudo- or quasi-: something that resembles the real thing without being it. A common word, it behaves like a prefix in technical and scientific vocabulary, especially medicine, flagging look-alike conditions and phenomena.
- no-adjectiveEssentially the English word 'false' taken over as a katakana loanword. It is seldom the word you want: ordinary Japanese expresses the idea with other terms, so you can safely ignore it in most contexts.
- 仮性かせいno-adjectiveA less common word, chiefly medical, for 'false' symptoms or conditions: something that mimics a disease or its signs without being it. You will meet it in medical terminology, not in general speech.
- prefixA less common word that brands a noun as sham, pseudo-, or would-be: an imitation or self-styled pretender falling short of the real thing, with a dismissive edge; normally written in kana alone.
- 辟へきnounA single kanji with its on-reading rather than a usable word: the 'false' sense is the character's Chinese-derived meaning, and you will meet 辟 only inside fixed compounds, never as a way to say 'false'.
For 'false' meaning pseudo- or quasi-, 疑似 is the common choice; 仮性 covers false symptoms in medical language; 「えせ」 brands things as sham or would-be; 「フォルス」 and 辟 are seldom usable translations.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
