List of Japanese terms mistaken for gairaigo

This is a selected list of Japanese words that are sometimes thought to be foreign borrowings (known as gairaigo in Japanese), but are in fact words with Japanese origins. This confusion can stem from a number of causes. Katakana are typically reserved for words of foreign origin, but are sometimes used for Japanese words of modern or irregular formation. In addition, some Japanese words bear coincidental similarities to words in other languages (known as false cognates).